Marjolaine Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry to 13x13 inches square. With a sharp knife, trim to 12x12 inches. Cut into 3 equal strips, 4x12 inches. Poke each strip several times with a fork. Arrange on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with hazelnuts.
• Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Allow to cool. If not equal in size, trim with a serrated knife, using a gentle sawing motion.
• Melt chocolate in a bowl over barely simmering water, stirring constantly, until smooth. Cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, brown sugar and coffee until smooth. Blend in melted chocolate. Fold in ground hazelnuts and almonds. In a large bowl, whip cream until peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cheese mixture, then quickly fold in remaining whipped cream until no streaks remain.
• Spread 1/3 of filling on a strip of puff pastry. Repeat layers. Refrigerate for 3 hours, or until set. With a serrated knife, cut into 10 slices using a gentle sawing motion.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Oil a baking sheet with a light vegetable oil. Spread the almonds on another baking sheet and bake until fragrant and light brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
• Combine the nuts and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the sugar begins to melt. The mixture will go through several stages, from a dry blend to one where the sugar forms little bubbles the size of peas. Continue cooking, stirring constantly so all of the sugar clinging to the almonds melts, until the mixture turns dark brown and syrupy and the nuts make a popping sound. The whole process will take about five minutes.
• Quickly pour the mixture onto the oiled baking sheet. The mixture will harden to give almond brittle. When the praline is cool, break it into pieces. Grind it to a fine powder in a food processor. (Praline can be made weeks in advance and refrigerated or frozen in an air-tight container.)
• Bring the cream to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate, piece by piece, until it is completely melted and blended. Set aside until cool and thick. It should have the consistency of a thick, spreadable, frosting. (This can be made as much as three days in advance and refrigerated. If it hardens, reheat it gently, beating until it reaches the proper consistency.)
• Using a whisk or electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl until thick and lemon-colored. Gently whisk in the flour. Heat the milk to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk one-third of the hot milk into the egg mixture, then pour the egg mixture into the remaining milk. Boil, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until thickened, about two minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
• Beat the butter until soft and creamy. When the pastry cream is completely cool, whisk in the softened butter. (The pastry cream can be made three days in advance and kept refrigerated.)
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Heavily butter two jelly-roll pans, measuring about 14 by 10 by 1 inches. Line them with parchment paper. Butter and flour the paper.
• Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast until fragrant and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the warm nuts in a cotton dish towel to remove as much skin as possible. Cool, then grind them with a quarter cup of the sugar in a food processor.
• Using a whisk or electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to stiffen. Slowly add the remaining sugar, mixing until stiff but not dry. Fold in the flour and hazelnut mixture. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are thoroughly browned, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Remove the cakes from the oven and invert them onto racks to cool, paper side up. Cover the cakes with a damp towel for several minutes, then remove the parchment paper while the cakes are still warm. Let cool completely. Cut each cake lengthwise in half.
• At least 24 hours, but not more than three days, before serving, assemble the marjolaine: Divide the pastry cream in half. Blend the vanilla extract and the rum into one portion of the pastry cream. Blend the praline powder into the remaining pastry cream. (Mix the praline cream just before assembling the cake, because the flavor will fade if mixed up in advance.) The chocolate and pastry creams should be chilled, but spreadable.
• Place one cake layer on a large, rectangular serving platter. Spread half the chocolate cream on the cake. Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes. Cover the chocolate cream with a second cake layer. Spread with all of the rum cream and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Top the rum cream with the third cake layer. Spread with all of the praline cream and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Top the praline cream with the fourth cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining chocolate cream. Refrigerate uncovered for 15 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate one to three days before serving.
• To serve, remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before cutting, then cut into thin slices.

Steps:

• FOR THE MERINGUE NUT CAKE: Preheat oven to very hot 450°F.
• In separate pans or pie plates put 1 1/2 cups blanched almonds and 1 full cup skinned hazelnuts. Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes, or until brown, shaking pans occasionally. Remove from oven and cool. Grind 1 cup at a time in an electric blender on high speed for about 5 seconds, and empty into a bowl. Mix ground nuts with 1 1/2 cups sugar.
• Reduce oven to very slow 250°F.
• Beat until stiff: 8 egg whites (reserve yolks for butter cream), a pinch of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar.
• Gradually fold in the sugar nut mixture.
• Line baking sheets with waxed paper or parchment paper and butter paper lightly.
• On it mark 4 bands about 12 inches long and 4 inches wide. Spread these bands thickly with the meringue nut mixture, and bake in the slow oven for about 30 minutes, or until crusty on top, but still pliable. Invert on waxed paper, and carefully remove waxed paper from bottom of bands. Cool.
• FOR THE CHOCOLATE WAFERS: Melt: 6 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces over hot water.
• Cut circles 2 1/2 inches in diameter from waxed paper or parchment paper and spread these rounds with a thin coating of the melted chocolate. Place rounds on a cookie sheet and chill in refrigerator.
• FOR THE BUTTER CREAM: In saucepan combine: 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water, and 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar. Bring to a boil and boil rapidly to 240°F on a candy thermometer, or until syrup spins a long thread. Gradually in a thin stream pour the hot syrup into 8 egg yolks beating all the time, and continue to beat until the mixture is COOL and thick.
• When cool beat in bit by bit 1 1/2 cups sweet butter. This makes 1 quart butter cream.
• Measure 1 cup of the butter cream and flavor it with 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• Measure a second cup and flavor it with 1/4 cup praline powder.
• Melt: 3 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces with 1 tablespoon water and stir into remaining butter cream. Chill all 3 flavored creams until firm enough to spread.
• PRALINE POWDER: In a saucepan combine: 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, and 1/2 cup blanched almonds. Cook without stirring until mixture is color of dark molasses. Pour onto oiled cookie sheet and let cool.
• Detach the praline from sheet with pancake turner and break into pieces. Blend half at a time in container of an electric blender for about 20 seconds, or until ground to a fine powder.
• Store in refrigerator in a tightly closed container. Makes a bout 3/4 cup.
• PRESENTATION: Place a meringue band on a serving plate and spread with the vanilla cream. Top with second meringue band and spread with half the chocolate cream. Top with the third meringue band and spread with praline cream. Top with fourth meringue band. Frost sides with remaining chocolate cream and sprinkle top heavily with confectioners' sugar.
• Carefully peel waxed paper from bottom of the chocolate wafers and decorate the sides of the cake by overlapping the wafers all the way around. Serves 10.
• A Treasury of Great Recipes by Mary and Vincent Price.

Steps:

• Make nut meringue:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 17 12 x 11 1/2 x 1-inch jelly roll pan with parchment. Blend hazelnuts, almonds, 1/2 cup sugar and flour in processor until nuts are finely ground. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl until soft peaks form. gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Fold nut mixture into meringue in 2 additions. spread meringue mixture evenly in prepared pan.
• Bake meringue until golden brown and dry to touch, about 20 minutes. Cool meringue in pan on rack.
• Cut around pan sides. Using parchment as aid, lift meringue onto work surface. Press large sheet of waxed paper onto meringue to cover. Using scissors, cut through waxed paper and parchment to trim meringue to 16-inch-long by 8- inch-wide rectangle. Cut in half crosswise, then lengthwise, forming four 8-inch-long by 4-inch-wide rectangles.
• Make ganache:
• Bring 1 1/4 cups cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Transfer 1/4 cup ganache to small bowl; add remaining 3 tablespoons cream to make light ganache. Refrigerate light ganache until cold, at least 30 minutes. Refrigerate dark ganache until cold and thick, stirring often, about 1 hour.
• Make coffee cream:
• Beat chilled whipping cream, instant espresso powder and sugar in medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate.
• Place cake rack on work surface. Peel waxed paper and parchment off 1 meringue rectangle; place on cake rack. Spread with 1/3 cup dark ganache. Peel waxed paper and parchment off second meringue; place atop dark ganache. Whisk light ganache just until thick and stiff. Spread over second meringue. Peel waxed paper and parchment off third meringue; place atop light ganache. Spread with half of coffee cream; cover and refrigerate remaining coffee cream. Peel waxed paper and parchment off fourth meringue; place atop coffee cream. spread 1/2 cup dark ganache in thin layer over top and sides of torte to anchor crumbs and smooth surface. Refrigerate on rack 45 minutes. Place torte on rack onto large sheet of aluminum foil. Stir remaining dark ganache over very low heat just until warm enough to pour. Pour dark ganache over torte. Using icing spatula and working quickly, smooth top and sides for even coverage. Refrigerate on rack until glaze is firm, at least 2 hours. (Torte can be made 2 days ahead. Cover loosely; keep refrigerated.)
• Using metal spatula, transfer torte to platter. Rewhip remaining coffee cream. Pipe in decorative pattern atop torte. Garnish with hazelnuts and serve.

Steps:

• In saucepan combine: 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, and 1/2 cup blanched almonds.
• Cook without stirring until mixture is color of dark molasses.
• Pour onto oiled cookie sheet and let cool.
• Detach the praline from sheet with pancake turner and break into pieces.
• Blend half at a time in container of an electric blender for about 20 seconds, or until ground to a fine powder.
• Store in refrigerator in a tightly closed container.
• Preheat oven to very hot 450 degrees F.
• In separate pans or pie plates put 1+ 1/2 cups blanched almonds and 1 full cup skinned hazelnuts.
• Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes, or until brown, shaking pans occasionally.
• Remove from oven and cool.
• Grind 1 cup at a time in an electric blender on high speed for about 5 seconds, and empty into a bowl.
• Mix ground nuts with 1 1/2 cups sugar.
• Reduce oven to very slow 250º F.
• Beat until stiff: 8 egg whites (reserve yolks for butter cream), a pinch of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar.
• Gradually fold in the sugar-nut mixture.
• Line baking sheets with waxed paper and butter paper lightly.
• On it mark 4 bands about 12 inches long and 4 wide.
• Spread these bands thickly with the meringue-nut mixture, and bake in the slow oven for about 30 minutes, or until crusty on top, but still pliable.
• Invert on waxed paper, and carefully remove waxed paper from bottom of bands.
• Cool.
• Melt 6 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces over hot water.
• Cut circles 2 1/2 inches in diameter from waxed paper and spread these rounds with a thin coating of the melted chocolate.
• Place rounds on a cookie sheet and chill in refrigerator.
• In saucepan combine: 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, and 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar.
• Bring to a boil and boil rapidly to 240ºF on a candy thermometer, or until syrup spins a long thread.
• Gradually beat the hot syrup into 8 egg yolks, and continue to beat until the mixture is cool and thick.
• Beat in bit by bit: 1+1/2 cups sweet butter.
• This makes 1 quart butter cream.
• Measure 1 cup of the butter cream and flavor it with 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• Measure a second cup and flavor it with 1/4 cup praline powder.
• Melt: 3 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces with 1 tablespoon water and stir into remaining butter cream.
• Chill all cream until firm enough to spread.
• PRESENTATION: Place a meringue band on a serving plate and spread with vanilla cream.
• Top with second meringue band and spread with half the chocolate cream.
• Top with the third meringue band.
• Frost sides with remaining chocolate cream and sprinkle top heavy with confectioner's sugar.
• Carefully peel waxed paper from bottom of the chocolate wafers and decorate the sides of the cake by overlapping the wafers all the way around.