Hazelnut tart

A wonderful Nocciola cake with hazelnuts and chocolate. A delicious crunchy hazelnut base, a hazelnut cream filling (also made with hazelnuts), and a delicate chocolate ganache. A cake with an autumnal touch, but so delicious that it can be successfully baked all year round.

Ingredients for shortbread cookies with walnuts:

150 g of wheat flour

90g of hazelnuts

115g of cold butter, cut into cubes

35g of icing sugar

30 ml of milk

1 egg yolk, from a large egg

a pinch of salt

Toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan or in the oven (at 180°C), stirring occasionally. Remove the brown skins; to remove them more easily, wrap them in kitchen paper and rub them between your hands. Let them cool completely, then grind them in a food processor until you get a flour-like texture (but not for too long, or the hazelnuts will release their oil).

Sift the flour, add the ground hazelnuts and butter, and quickly chop with a knife until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk, milk, sugar, and salt, and quickly mix (you can also use a food processor). Form the dough into a ball (it will be very soft), flatten it slightly, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes.

Grease a 24cm diameter cake tin with butter and sprinkle with wheat flour, shaking off the excess.

Roll out the chilled dough to a thickness of about 3 mm and line the baking tin. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Dust the chilled dough with wheat flour, cover with parchment paper, and place ceramic weights on top (you can also use beans or rice).

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Lower the temperature to 190°C (375°F), place the dough in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, take off the baking paper and weights, lower the temperature to 180°C (350°F), return the tray to the oven, and bake for another 10 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Ingredients for the filling:

300 g hazelnut cream

Besides:

150g of hazelnuts

Remove any brown skins; this is best done by wrapping the nuts in a paper towel and rubbing them between your hands (the skins would give the cream a bitter taste). Let cool completely.

Ingredients for the chocolate ganache:

75 ml of cream to whip up 30% or 36%

90g of milk chocolate, chopped.

35g of 70% dark chocolate, chopped.

Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate, and let it sit for 2 minutes. Then, stir until the chocolate is melted and the topping is smooth. Let it cool, but it should still be liquid.

Execution:

Spread the hazelnut cream evenly over the chilled tart base. Sprinkle with hazelnuts (reserving a small portion), then pour the chocolate ganache over it and spread it evenly. Let it set. Once set, sprinkle the reserved hazelnuts on top.