Hazelnut-merengue Pastry
I wanted to make them for a while, hazelnut-meringue pastry. Usually they are made with a mocha / hazelnut buttercream, but because my husband doesn't like buttercream, I make them this time with whipped cream.
What Do You Need for 6 Hazelnut Pastries:
For the merengue
* 4 egg whites (I still had them in the freezer)
* pinch of salt
* 75 g fine granulated sugar
* 50 g hazelnuts without skin
* 100 g icing sugar
* 20 g cornflour
* 1/2 tsp cream or tartar
* Lemon juice for degreasing
Finishing touch:
* 4 merengue circles
* 50 g hazelnuts
* 500 ml whipped cream
* 4 tbsp sugar
* 1 sachet of Klop-fix
* 12 hazelnuts
* Almond shavings
Tools:
* mixer
* Spatula
* Kitchen scale
* Piping bag
* Food processor
* Baking paper
* Pencil
* Round lid or other round of ⌀ 5 to 6 cm
* Oven
* 4 egg whites (I still had them in the freezer)
* pinch of salt
* 75 g fine granulated sugar
* 50 g hazelnuts without skin
* 100 g icing sugar
* 20 g cornflour
* 1/2 tsp cream or tartar
* Lemon juice for degreasing
Finishing touch:
* 4 merengue circles
* 50 g hazelnuts
* 500 ml whipped cream
* 4 tbsp sugar
* 1 sachet of Klop-fix
* 12 hazelnuts
* Almond shavings
Tools:
* mixer
* Spatula
* Kitchen scale
* Piping bag
* Food processor
* Baking paper
* Pencil
* Round lid or other round of ⌀ 5 to 6 cm
* Oven
Roasting and Peeling Hazelnuts:
Roast the hazelnuts 8 minutes at 175 degrees, stir after 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Removing the skin is easiest by putting the hazelnuts in a tea towel. Close the tea towel by folding the points together. Use one hand to keep the tea towel closed and roll over the tea towel with the other hand. Repeat if necessary and peel the last hazelnuts with a knife. Allow the hazelnuts to rest for another hour before use so that the oil from the hazelnut is completely absorbed again and the hazelnut remains crispy.
Merengue:
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.
Put the hazelnuts with the icing sugar and cornflour in a food processor and grind the hazelnuts into large pieces. Set aside till the egg whites are beaten.
With the help of a lid, draw 16 circles on the baking sheet and place the baking sheet with the pencil side down on the baking tray. You can now easily make all foam circles the same size. Degrease the bowl and the hooks before you put the egg whites in the bowl, preferably do not use a plastic bowl. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and cream of tartar, add the crystal sugar while whisking. The egg whites are good if you can make spikes or if you turn the bowl up side down and the egg whites stays in the bowl. The latter is like throwing pancakes and catching them again in the pan, if you don't do it well then you have a great mess.
Take the hazelnut mix and fold the hazelnut mixture through the beaten egg whites. Do this carefully and no longer than necessary. Put the hazelnut egg whites in a piping bag and make 16 circles of approx. 6 cm diameter and approx. 1.5 cm high. Bake the hazelnut egg whites circles in the oven at 170 degrees for approx. 40 minutes. After baking, the merengues must be light brown and crispy. Let the merengues cool down and save the 12 most beautiful ones. The remaining 4 are for finishing the hazelnut-meringue pastries.
Put the hazelnuts with the icing sugar and cornflour in a food processor and grind the hazelnuts into large pieces. Set aside till the egg whites are beaten.
With the help of a lid, draw 16 circles on the baking sheet and place the baking sheet with the pencil side down on the baking tray. You can now easily make all foam circles the same size. Degrease the bowl and the hooks before you put the egg whites in the bowl, preferably do not use a plastic bowl. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and cream of tartar, add the crystal sugar while whisking. The egg whites are good if you can make spikes or if you turn the bowl up side down and the egg whites stays in the bowl. The latter is like throwing pancakes and catching them again in the pan, if you don't do it well then you have a great mess.
Take the hazelnut mix and fold the hazelnut mixture through the beaten egg whites. Do this carefully and no longer than necessary. Put the hazelnut egg whites in a piping bag and make 16 circles of approx. 6 cm diameter and approx. 1.5 cm high. Bake the hazelnut egg whites circles in the oven at 170 degrees for approx. 40 minutes. After baking, the merengues must be light brown and crispy. Let the merengues cool down and save the 12 most beautiful ones. The remaining 4 are for finishing the hazelnut-meringue pastries.
Composing the Pastry
Beat the whipped cream together with the granulated sugar and the Klop fix.
Put 4 rounds together with 50 g of hazelnuts in the food processor and grind, the crumbs should not be too fine. Spray some whipped cream on 6 rounds, withe the help of piping bag, and place the remaining 6 merengue on top with the top down so that you have a nice smooth top. If necessary, spread extra cream around to get a tight pastry. Now roll them round in the hazelnut mixture so that they are beautifully finished all around. Finally, make a topping of whipped cream on the pastries, place one or two hazelnuts on each pastry and sprinkle with some almond shavings. Let the hazelnut pastry rest for half an hour to a maximum of one hour in the fridge, the hazelnut merengue then becomes a little softer.
You cannot freeze merengues if 6 pastries are too much, then make fewer and save the remaining merengue. The merengue can be kept for about two weeks in a sealed pot and also delicious to eat as a cookie.
Put 4 rounds together with 50 g of hazelnuts in the food processor and grind, the crumbs should not be too fine. Spray some whipped cream on 6 rounds, withe the help of piping bag, and place the remaining 6 merengue on top with the top down so that you have a nice smooth top. If necessary, spread extra cream around to get a tight pastry. Now roll them round in the hazelnut mixture so that they are beautifully finished all around. Finally, make a topping of whipped cream on the pastries, place one or two hazelnuts on each pastry and sprinkle with some almond shavings. Let the hazelnut pastry rest for half an hour to a maximum of one hour in the fridge, the hazelnut merengue then becomes a little softer.
You cannot freeze merengues if 6 pastries are too much, then make fewer and save the remaining merengue. The merengue can be kept for about two weeks in a sealed pot and also delicious to eat as a cookie.