Candied Hazelnuts And Chocolate Curls Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place nuts on a baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and toasted, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel; rub to loosen skins. Place sugar and water in a medium heavy skillet. Stir with a fork over medium-high heat until dissolved; let boil undisturbed for 3 minutes. Add nuts to pan; stir with wooden spoon until caramel seizes around nuts. Transfer to parchment-lined shallow baking sheet; let cool.
• Once nuts are cool, place half of chopped chocolate in a deep medium-size stainless-steel bowl. Place bowl over a saucepan with 1 inch of simmering water; stir until chocolate is melted and hot. Add remaining chocolate to bowl, remove bowl from pan of water, let stand about 5 minutes, then stir until smooth.
• Pour half the chocolate onto an inverted baking sheet; spread with a bench scraper until 1/8 inch thick or slightly thinner (chocolate should be opaque on surface). Let stand until just tacky. Hold scraper at a 45º angle; scrape chocolate off surface. Store curls at room temperature in an airtight container layered with parchment.
• While chocolate sets, add candied nuts to remaining chocolate in bowl, and stir until coated. Spread nuts on a parchment lined baking sheet, and let stand until set.
• Sift cocoa powder on top of dried nuts and toss to coat. Store in a resealable plastic bag for up to 1 week, until ready to use.

Steps:

• Thread each hazelnut onto tip of a long wooden skewer; set aside. Place a cutting board along the edge of a countertop; set a baking sheet on floor next to edge.
• Cook sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Continue to cook, without stirring, until syrup comes to a boil, washing down sides with a wet brush to prevent crystals from forming. Let boil until syrup turns light amber, about 5 minutes; remove from heat. Let stand until slightly cooled, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Dip 1 skewered hazelnut into syrup, coating completely and letting excess syrup drip back into pan. When dripping syrup becomes a thin string, secure end of skewer under cutting board, letting caramel string drip over edge onto sheet. Repeat with remaining hazelnuts. Let stand until caramel has hardened, about 5 minutes. Break strings to about 4 inches. Carefully remove skewers.

Steps:

• Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over high heat, swirling, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer, and cook, swirling occasionally, until medium amber, about 4 minutes. Add hazelnuts and salt, and stir for 1 minute to coat.
• Pour mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a nonstick baking mat, and immediately separate nuts using 2 forks so that each stands alone on sheet. (You can also hold the pan at an angle and push each hazelnut onto sheet individually. If caramel thickens as you work, return to heat briefly.) Let cool. Break apart.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and toasted, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel; rub to loosen the skins.
• Place the sugar and water in a medium heavy skillet. Stir with a fork over medium-high heat until dissolved; let boil undisturbed for 3 minutes. Add the nuts to the pan; stir with a wooden spoon until the caramel seizes around the nuts. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet; let cool completely.
• Once the nuts are cool, place half the chopped chocolate in a deep, medium-size stainless-steel bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan with 1 inch of simmering water; stir until the chocolate is melted and hot. Add the remaining chocolate to the bowl; remove the bowl from the pan of water; let stand about 5 minutes, and then stir until smooth.
• Pour half the chocolate onto an inverted baking sheet; spread with a bench scraper until 1/8 inch thick or slightly thinner (chocolate should be opaque on the surface). Let stand until just tacky. Hold the scraper at a 45-degree angle; scrape the chocolate off the surface. The curls can be stored in an airtight container layered with parchment at room temperature.
• While the chocolate sets, add the candied nuts to the remaining chocolate in the bowl, and stir until coated. Spread the nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and let stand until set.
• Sift the cocoa powder on top of the dried nuts and toss to coat. Store in a resealable plastic bag for up to 1 week, until ready to use.

Steps:

• In a medium to small-sized skillet, melt butter with the brown sugar.
• Add 3/4 cup of toasted and chopped hazelnuts and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring fairly constantly, until the sugar caramelizes around the nuts are a rich golden-brown. Careful not to burn.
• Remove to waxed paper or aluminum foil and separate the nuts so they won't stick together when they are cooled. Can be prepared several days ahead and stored in a covered container.