Hazelnut Caramel Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350°F.
• Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until toasted and fragrant. Lift the nuts off the baking sheet, leaving any nut powder behind; it will be a little bitter and won't feel right in your mouth.
• Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and drizzle in the honey. Pour the sugar into a deep skillet and sprinkle it with a tablespoon or two of cool water. Drizzle on the corn syrup, add the salt, and cook over high heat. Leave the pan alone until the sugar starts to color, then pick up the pan and swirl the sugar in it so it colors evenly. Cook until the sugar is dark amber. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour in the hot cream; this will boil up and spatter, so be careful. Return the pan to the heat and cook, rolling the caramel in the pan, until the caramel comes back to a boil and is completely smooth again.
• Pour the caramel over the chocolate and honey and leave it for about 1 minute. Then stir and fold with a heatproof rubber scraper until the chocolate has melted completely. Fold in the nuts. Taste for salt; it should be on the salty side.
• You can make the nut caramel days in advance and refrigerate it, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 2 days. Heat it up in the microwave or a double boiler before you use it.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put 8 of the nectarine halves, cut sides down, in a glass baking dish just large enough to hold them in one layer and roast them in the oven for 20 minutes, or until they are softened. While the nectarines are roasting, chop the remaining 2 nectarines halves, in a non-stick skillet cook them over moderate heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until they are very soft, and in a blender or food processor purée them.
• In a heavy saucepan melt 3/4 cup of the sugar over moderate heat, stirring with a fork, and cook the syrup, swirling the pan occasionally, until it is a golden caramel. Working carefully and quickly, stir in the cream, the nectarine purée, and the lemon juice, stirring until the sauce is combined well. Keep the caramel sauce warm.
• Line an 8-inch cake pan with foil and in it spread the hazelnuts in one layer. In another heavy saucepan melt the remaining 1/2 cup sugar over moderate heat, stirring with a fork, and cook the syrup, swirling the pan occasionally, until it is a golden caramel. Working quickly, pour the hot caramel over the hazelnuts. Let the hazelnuts praline cool completely and chop it into small pieces.
• Put 2 roasted nectarine halves, cut sides up, in each of 4 compotes and top each serving with about 2 tablespoons of the caramel sauce and 1 tablespoon of the praline. Garnish each serving with some of the raspberries and some of the mint sprigs and serve the remaining caramel sauce and praline separately.
• To toast and skin the hazelnuts:
• Toast the hazelnuts in one layer in a baking pan in a reheated 350°F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are colored lightly and the skins blister. Wrap the nuts in a kitchen towel and let them steam for 1 minute. Rub the nuts in the towel to remove as much of the skins as possible and let them cool.

Steps:

• Line 9-inch square baking pan with 2-inch high sides with heavy-duty aluminum foil, extending foil over sides of pan. Butter foil.
• Melt 1 cup of butter in heavy large saucepan over low heat. Add both sugars, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk and stir until sugar dissolves. Scape seeds from vanilla into mixture; add bean. Attach clip-on candy thermometer to side of saucepan. Increase heat to medium and bring mixture to a boil. Cook mixture 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Using tongs, remove vanilla bean and discard. Continue cooking until candy thermometer registers 242°F, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes longer. Immediately remove from heat; stir in hazelnuts. Quickly pour caramel into prepared pan (do not scrape saucepan). Cool until firm, about 1 hour.
• Using buttered heavy large knife, score 8 lines lengthwise to depth of 1/4 inch in caramel, then score 8 lines crosswise. Using aluminum foil as aid, lift caramel out of pan. Using same buttered heavy large knife, cut caramel on scored lines into pieces. Wrap each piece of caramel in cellophane. (Can be prepared 2 weeks ahead. Store caramels in airtight containers.)

Steps:

• For crust:
• Wrap foil tightly around outside of 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Blend hazelnuts and sugar in food processor until nuts are finely ground. Add melted butter; blend until moist clumps form. Press nut mixture onto bottom (not sides) of prepared pan.
• For filling:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Pour filling over crust. Bake until cheesecake puffs and is set around sides but center still moves slightly when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes. Transfer cheesecake to rack. Run small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Cool cake completely. Remove foil from pan. Cover with plastic and chill overnight.
• For caramel sauce:
• Stir sugar and 1/4 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat; add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Boil sauce until reduced to 2 cups, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Cool. Spoon 1/2 cup caramel sauce evenly over top of cheesecake, leaving 1/2-inch border around edge. Arrange additional hazelnuts decoratively around outside edge of cake. Cover and refrigerate cheesecake until topping sets, about 2 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep cheesecake refrigerated. Cover and refrigerate remaining sauce.) Release pan sides from cheesecake. Transfer cake to platter. Rewarm remaining sauce just until pourable but not warm. Slice cheesecake. Serve, passing sauce separately.