Date Chocolate Nut Balls

For the past couple months, I haven't been consuming refined sugars. I will admit that I had a slice of this pie (sans the coconut) that I made on Thanksgiving and tasted a cookie or two over the Christmas Holidays, but for the most part, I haven't been eating it. I haven't been baking very much. I still make my kids cookies or muffins occasionally, but I don't always consume what I make. I also have been experimenting with other ways to enjoy sweet treats.

We are big LARABAR fans in this house. If you are familiar with those, you know that they can be a little bit pricey. Especially when a certain 9 year old wants to eat one- every. single. day. *sidenote- his favorite flavors are - Coconut Cream Pie, Cashew Cookie, and Chocolate Coconut Chew :D

I have seen multiple recipes for Homemade LaraBars and so, I bought a huge bag of dates a few weeks ago.

Long story short- These little Date Chocolate Nut Balls were the first thing that I made with my dates. They are kinda like little nuggets of a LaraBar.

These little treats are so good. They are just sweet enough to qualify as a treat and the perfect way to top off a meal. I made them when I was taking dinner to someone and kept quite a few for us. We have been enjoying them as snacks straight from the freezer. I worked out the calorie info and each one has about 40 calories. I will be making these over and over again.

Here is the recipe for Date Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
* I used a mixture of cashews, pecans, almonds, and hazelnuts instead of peanuts
* I used unsweetened coconut milk instead of water, just because I had it in the fridge

Hazelnut Blondies

It's that time of year when everyone starts making cookies, candies, and other treats to share with their families and friends. Fun, fun, fun. The hard part is deciding which treats to make!

When my sister was here visiting about 2 months ago, we made these blondies together. I decided to save them until the holidays because I thought they would be a great addition to any party, plate, or whatever else you all might have going on this month. These are a very basic blondie with hazelnuts adding some extra texture and flavor and they are topped with Nutella.
My sister ending up taking them back with her and sharing them with her co-workers and everyone really enjoyed them.

Here is the recipe for Hazelnut Blondies

Crustless Sweet Potato Pie with Hazelnut Streusel

When my sister was visiting, we also made this Sweet Potato Pie with Hazelnut Streusel. I haven't ever made sweet potato pie before, but I figured this was a good recipe to start out with. My sister isn't a fan of pie crust and we were looking to save time, so we made it without the crust.
It was easy and delicious. The streusel gave a nice crunch to the whole thing and we didn't miss the crust at all.

Here is the recipe for Sweet Potato Pie with Hazelnut Streusel
* I added some oats to the streusel

Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne

A couple of weeks ago, a friend asked me if I wanted to get together and make this lasagne with her. I thought that cooking together sounded like a blast, so I quickly agreed to come over later that week with all my supplies to put this lasagne together. I usually avoid recipes that have tons of cheese and milk, since we have some lactose intolerance issues with certain members of my family, but not this time. My friend had tried this recipe before and loved it. She said that lots of the comments on epicurious said it took forever to put together, but we didn't think it was so bad. I prepped my squash, herbs, nuts, cheese, etc., before I went to her house, so we just cooked the squash, made the sauce and then assembled the lasagne.

It was so nice to have this made and waiting in the fridge, so that when dinner time rolled around, all I had to do was put it in the oven. This made a ton of lasagne! I know the recipe said that it serves 6, but in order for that to happen, someone would have to eat a ton of this. We did even eat half of it that night. The butternut squash, sage and hazelnuts go perfectly with the cheese and sauce. All we had on the side was a huge salad of mixed baby greens and it was a filling meal. I ended up freezing the leftovers, so we could enjoy them later.

Here is the recipe for Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne

Quinoa Risotto with Hazelnuts

You might be getting sick of seeing quinoa on my blog, but guess what- it isn't going to stop. I love it! It has become a quick standby, main dish, side dish, I even made a muffin with leftover cooked quinoa. It is everywhere.
I really like trying different types of risotto and I find it really interesting when they call for unusual grains, like quinoa.
This was a really great risotto. The vinegar added a really great flavor and the herbs were great.
I love fresh thyme- it is so pretty and makes a great garnish. I skipped the creme fraiche, but the hazelnuts added a really nice crunch on top.
Gotta go get some quinoa and try it out!
Quinoa and Onion Risotto with Crème Fraîche and Hazelnuts adapted from Cooking Light
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon butter
1 1/2 cups finely chopped Oso Sweet or other sweet onion
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons crème fraîche
3 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts, toasted

Place quinoa in a fine sieve; place sieve in a large bowl. Cover quinoa with water. Using your hands, rub grains together for 30 seconds; rinse and drain. Repeat procedure twice. Drain well.

Combine 6 cups water, salt, thyme, and bay leaf in a large saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook 5 minutes; discard thyme and bay leaf.
Keep warm over low heat.
Melt butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add quinoa; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add warm seasoned water, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently until each portion of warm seasoned water is absorbed before adding the next (about 30 minutes total).
Stir in vinegar.
Spoon 2/3 cup risotto into each of 6 small bowls or plates; top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons crème fraîche.
Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons hazelnuts.

Coming Tomorrow- Chicken Blueberry Salad

Craving Ellie- Nutty Granola

Here is another short and sweet post. Sweet like maple syrup, which happens to be a main ingredient in this granola.
This week's Craving Ellie recipe, Nutty Granola, was chosen by Leslie over at Lethally Delicious. This recipe was very easy and only contains a small number of ingredients. You can find the recipe over at Leslie's blog. We really liked the granola. It kind of reminded me of the Maple-Pecan Peach Granola I made last year. Next time I will probably double the recipe because these types of things never last very long at my house.
I used a combination of pecans, sliced almonds, and hazelnuts in my granola and I am pretty sure you could use any combination of nuts with the results being really good.
To see what the other Ellie's thought, check out the Craving Ellie Blogroll!

Coming Tomorrow- Celebrating my Blogiversary with The Cake Slice- Southern Coconut Cake

TWD-Linzer Sables turned into Cookie Cups with Chocolate Pastry Cream and Marionberry Jam

This week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe- Linzer Sables, was chosen by noskos over at Living the Life. You can find the recipe on his blog. They are a pretty little cookie, made with ground nuts and filled with jam or chocolate ganache. I love decorating cookies and cutting out shapes, but I wanted to do something different. Plus, I had 4 egg yolks in the fridge leftover from a meringue I made and I needed to use them. I decided I was going to make cookie cups and make some kind of pastry cream or filling with those yolks. I flipped through Dorie's book and found that chocolate pastry cream used 4 egg yolks and I know chocolate and hazelnuts are a tasty combination, so there you go. I only had skim milk, but the pastry cream turned out perfectly.

I halved the cookie recipe and used roasted hazelnuts for my cookie dough. I rolled it into a log and then stuck it into the fridge for a few hours. Then, in went the chocolate pastry cream to chill.

I cut the cookie dough into slices and used a regular sized muffin tin and a mini muffin tin to make my cookie cups, pressing the dough into little cups. The mini muffin tin worked best. I baked them for about 11 minutes and when they were cool, piped the chocolate pastry cream into some of them, topped with a dab of whipped cream. I also filled some with marionberry jam and sprinkled some powdered sugar on top. Pretty yummy! Go see everyone's cookies by checking out the Tuesday's with Dorie Blogroll.

Chocolate Pastry Cream-from Dorie Greenspan's Baking from my home to yours

2 cups milk (I used skim milk because that is all I had and it worked great!)

4 large egg yolks

6 Tbls sugar

3 Tbls cornstarch, sifted

pinch of salt

7 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted (I used half semi-sweet and half bittersweet)

3 Tbls unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into bits

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, until thick and thoroughly combined. Whisk 1/4 cup of the hot milk into the egg mixture, to temper the eggs so they won't curdle. Whisk constantly, pour the rest of the hot milk in a steady stream into the egg mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil, over medium-heat, whisking continually, making sure to get the sides and bottom of the pan. When the mixture starts to boil, keep whisking for 1-2 minutes more. Then, remove from the heat, and whisk in the melted chocolate. Let the cream sit for 5 minutes and then whisk in the butter, until the cream is silky and smooth.

Scrape the cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing against the surface of the cream. Refrigerate until completely chilled. Use as desired.

Coming Tomorrow- You Want Pies with That? Holiday Songs- It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas- Lime Cream and Mango Meringue Pie

Cranberry Quick Bread with Dried Blueberries and Hazelnuts

Something about fall makes me want to bake quick bread. I don't know what it is, but it seems to be seasonal for me. Since I had fresh cranberries, roasted hazelnuts and dried blueberries (thanks to Oh Nuts!), I decided to try this bread. I swapped out the golden raisins that were originally called for and used dried blueberries instead. I thought it was really pretty to look at and it tasted wonderful. I love how cranberries look when they bake up, so beautiful and red. I also love how you can see the orange zest. This came in handy when I was taking dinner to someone the other night, I just sliced a few pieces and sent them over on a pretty plate. Yum!

Cranberry Quick Bread with Dried Blueberries and Hazelnuts from Cooking Light

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup apple juice

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

1 large egg

1 1/3 cups chopped fresh cranberries

1/3 cup dried blueberries

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 4 ingredients (flours through salt) in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine juice, oil, rind, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in cranberries, raisins, and hazelnuts.Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Up Tomorrow- Barefoot Bloggers-Herb-Roasted Onions and Craving Ellie in my Belly- Portobello Lasagna Roll-ups

Late Start Breakfast- Cranberry-Hazelnut Coffeecake and Oatmeal with Apples, Hazelnuts, and Flaxseed

Since I haven't heard from most of my team yet, I will get to the Baking GALS post tomorrow.
This year our school district started having one late start monday a month. I won't go into too much detail about it, but on one monday, we have an extra hour and a half before school starts. I decided this would be a good monday to make a yummy breakfast.
Not too long ago I was contacted by Sam over at Oh! Nuts, asking if he could send me some free nuts and dried fruit to use in some recipes. I said yes, of course. A few days later, I received a pound of roasted hazelnuts, a pound of dried blueberries and a pound of dried kiwi. I have been putting them to work!
Both of these recipes use hazelnuts and since they were already roasted that took out some of the work for me. Both of the recipes are from my favorite, Cooking Light.
The oatmeal was really good, but the coffeecake was delicious. The cranberries were perfect in it and I am thinking it is going to come in handy over the holidays- so go buy some fresh cranberries and try this on a weekend!

Oatmeal with Apples, Hazelnuts, and Flaxseed

If your market sells hazelnuts with the skins removed, you can skip Steps 1 and 2, and just finely chop the nuts.

1/4 cup hazelnuts

3 cups fat-free milk

1 1/2 cups regular oats

1 1/2 cups diced Granny Smith apple (about 1 medium)

1/3 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons slivered almonds ( I used sliced almonds)

Preheat oven to 350°.Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes, stirring once. Turn nuts out onto a towel. Roll up towel; rub off skins. Finely chop nuts, and set aside.Combine milk and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in vanilla. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until thick. Sprinkle with hazelnuts, brown sugar, and almonds.

Cranberry-Hazelnut Coffeecake

Streusel:1/4 cup sifted cake flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Cake:1 2/3 cups sifted cake flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (8-ounce) carton fat-free sour cream, divided (I used greek yogurt)

1 large egg

1 large egg white

5 tablespoons butter, softened

Remaining ingredients:

Cooking spray

2 cups fresh cranberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°. To prepare streusel, lightly spoon 1/4 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 1/4 cup flour and next 4 ingredients (1/4 cup flour through 1 tablespoon butter) in a bowl; toss well. Set aside.

To prepare cake, lightly spoon 1 2/3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1 2/3 cups flour and next 4 ingredients (1 2/3 cups flour through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Combine vanilla, 1/4 cup sour cream, egg, and egg white in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Place remaining sour cream and 5 tablespoons butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended (about 2 minutes). Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with egg mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spread half of batter into a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle cranberries over batter. Spread remaining batter over cranberries. Sprinkle streusel mixture over batter. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Cookie Carnival-Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

Yes, my friends, I have joined in on Cookie Carnival.

I saw so many yummy cookies floating around last month and I decided I could use some fun cookie recipes that are not picked by me. This month we got to try Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti. I had some very excited family members due to great memories of last month's DB Challenge. We loved these, although we didn't eat too many since I decided they would be a good cookie to send to my brother-in-law, Russ, who I am hosting Operation Baking GALS for this month. These was a lot of nibbling and luckily, not all of the biscotti would fit in the box. These were great, an easy first time biscotti making experience for me. I will probably make these again because everyone here love the combination of hazelnuts and chocolate!
CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT BISCOTTI from The Bakehouse via Bon Appetit
1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted, husked
3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Grind 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts in processor. Set aside. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Beat butter and sugar in another large bowl to blend. Add eggs and vanilla and almond extracts and beat until well blended. Beat in flour mixture. Mix in 1 cup whole toasted hazelnuts, chocolate chips and 1/2 cup ground hazelnuts.
Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece on baking sheet into 2 1/2-inch-wide by 14-inch-long log. Place logs on prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart (logs will spread during baking). Bake until logs feel firm when tops are gently pressed, about 35 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet 15 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
Using long wide spatula, transfer baked logs to cutting board. Using serrated knife, cut warm logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Arrange slices, cut side down, on 2 baking sheets. Bake biscotti until firm, about 15 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool completely. (Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti can be prepared ahead. Store in airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.)

DB-Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream

I love baking cake, so when I saw this months Daring Bakers challenge, I was very happy and excited! This months challenge was chosen by Chris over at Mele Cotte. After reading through the recipe I realized it was going to be very similar to the Opera Cake we made in May, in that it had a genoise base, that is brushed with a simple syrup, then layers of buttercream and whipped cream, a glaze and the ganache. No fear here. I waited until yesterday to make it and it came together quickly. I was able to work on it uninterrupted (almost) for a few hours and had it ready in a jiffy. I have made swiss buttercream before, so I knew what to expect there. One taster just was cleaning the bowl from the buttercream and mixed it with a little leftover ganache and asked if they could have this for their next birthday cake-even without trying the cake! My favorite part was making the praline paste. It was so fun to watch the sugar and nuts transform to the brittle. I was amazed as I watched the brittle turn into paste. Very interesting! I halved everything except the ganache and made it in a 6-inch round. I omitted all the liqueur, except for rum flavoring in the sugar syrup. Luckily, we had just made apricot jam, so I was able to use some that was very fresh. It was beautiful and delicious! This was a great challenge. Make sure to check out the DB blogroll to see everyone else's beautiful cakes!



Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream

From Great Cakes by Carol Walter

1 Filbert Genoise

1 recipe sugar syrup, flavored with dark rum

1 recipe Praline Buttercream

½ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

1 recipe Apricot Glaze

1 recipe Ganache Glaze, prepared just before using

3 tablespoons filberts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Filbert Genoise

Because of the amount of nuts in the recipe, this preparation is different from a classic genoise.

1 ½ cups hazelnuts, toasted/skinned

2/3 cup cake flour, unsifted

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

7 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar, divided ¼ & ¾ cups

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. grated lemon rind

5 lg. egg whites

¼ cup warm, clarified butter (100 – 110 degrees)

Position rack in the lower 3rd of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10” X 2” inch round cake pan. Using a food processor, process nuts, cake flour, and cornstarch for about 30 seconds. Then, pulse the mixture about 10 times to get a fine, powdery mixture. You’ll know the nuts are ready when they begin to gather together around the sides of the bowl. While you want to make sure there aren’t any large pieces, don’t over-process. Set aside.

Put the yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, and beat until thick and light in color, about 3-4 minutes on med-high speed. Slowly, add ¾ cup of sugar. It is best to do so by adding a tablespoon at a time, taking about 3 minutes for this step. When finished, the mixture should be ribbony. Blend in the vanilla and grated lemon rind. Remove and set aside.

Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl of the electric mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed, until soft peaks. Increase to med-high speed and slowly add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, over 15-20 seconds or so. Continue to beat for another ½ minute. Add the yolk mixture to the whites and whisk for 1 minute.

Pour the warm butter in a liquid measure cup (or a spouted container). * It must be a deep bottom bowl and work must be fast.* Put the nut meal in a mesh strainer (or use your hand – working quickly) and sprinkle it in about 2 tablespoons at a time – folding it carefully for about 40 folds. Be sure to exclude any large chunks/pieces of nuts. Again, work quickly and carefully as to not deflate the mixture. When all but about 2 Tbsp. of nut meal remain, quickly and steadily pour the warm butter over the batter. Then, with the remaining nut meal, fold the batter to incorporate, about 13 or so folds.

With a rubber spatula, transfer the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with the spatula or back of a spoon. **If collected butter remains at the bottom of the bowl, do not add it to the batter! It will impede the cake rising while baking. Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. You’ll know the cake is done when it is springy to the touch and it separates itself from the side of the pan. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto a cake rack sprayed with nonstick coating, removing the pan. Cool the cake completely.

*If not using the cake right away, wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap, then in a plastic bag, then in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If freezing, wrap in foil, then the bag and use within 2-3 months.

Sugar Syrup

Makes 1 cup, good for one 10-inch cake – split into 3 layers

1 cup water

¼ cup sugar

2 Tbsp. dark rum or orange flavored liqueur (I added 1/2 tsp rum flavoring)

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the liqueur. Cool slightly before using on the cake.

*Can be made in advance.

Praline Buttercream

1 recipe Swiss Buttercream

1/3 cup praline paste

1 ½ - 2 Tbsp. Jamaican rum (optional)( I omitted this)

Blend ½ cup buttercream into the paste, then add to the remaining buttercream. Whip briefly on med-low speed to combine. Blend in rum.

Swiss Buttercream

4 lg. egg whites

¾ cup sugar

1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm

1 ½ -2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier or liqueur of your choice (I omitted this)

1 tsp. vanilla

Place the egg whites in a lg/ bowl of a elevtric mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until the whites are foamy and they begin to thicken (just before the soft peak stage). Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about 2 inches of simmering water, making sure the bowl is not touching the water. Then, whisk in the sugar by adding 1-2 tablespoon of sugar at a time over a minutes time. Continue beating 2-3 minutes or until the whites are warm (about 120 degrees) and the sugar is dissolved. The mixture should look thick and like whipped marshmallows. Remove from pan and with either the paddle or whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and sugar on med-high until its a thick, cool meringue – about 5-7 minutes. *Do not overbeat*. Set aside. Place the butter in a separate clean mixing bowl and, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter at medium speed for 40-60 seconds, or until smooth and creamy. *Do not overbeat or the butter will become toooooo soft.*On med-low speed, blend the meringue into the butter, about 1-2 Tbsp. at a time, over 1 minute. Add the liqueur and vanilla and mix for 30-45 seconds longer, until thick and creamy. Refrigerate 10-15 minutes before using.Wait! My buttercream won’t come together! Reheat the buttercream briefly over simmering water for about 5 seconds, stirring with a wooden spoon. Be careful and do not overbeat. The mixture will look broken with some liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Return the bowl to the mixer and whip on medium speed just until the cream comes back together. Wait! My buttercream is too soft! Chill the buttercream in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes and rewhip. If that doesn’t work, cream an additional 2-4 Tbsp. of butter in a small bowl– making sure the butter is not as soft as the original amount, so make sure is cool and smooth. On low speed, quickly add the creamed butter to the buttercream, 1 Tbsp. at a time.Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or can be frozen for up to 6 months. If freezing, store in 2 16-oz. plastic containers and thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for several hours.

Praline Paste

1 cup (4 ½ oz.) Hazelnuts, toasted/skinless

2/3 cup Sugar

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment and lightly butter. Put the sugar in a heavy 10-inch skillet. Heat on low flame for about 10-20 min until the sugar melts around the edges. Do not stir the sugar. Swirl the pan if necessary to prevent the melted sugar from burning. Brush the sides of the pan with water to remove sugar crystals. If the sugar in the center does not melt, stir briefly. When the sugar is completely melted and caramel in color, remove from heat. Stir in the nuts with a wooden spoon and separate the clusters. Return to low heat and stir to coat the nuts on all sides. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble.

**Remember – extremely hot mixture.** Then onto the parchment lined sheet and spread as evenly as possible. As it cools, it will harden into brittle. Break the candied nuts into pieces and place them in the food processor. Pulse into a medium-fine crunch or process until the brittle turns into a powder. To make paste, process for several minutes. Store in an airtight container and store in a cook dry place. Do not refrigerate.

Apricot Glaze

Good for one 10-inch cake

2/3 cup thick apricot preserves

1 Tbsp. water

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and preserves to a slow boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. If the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the saucepan, add water as needed.Remove from heat and, using a strainer, press the mixture through the mesh and discard any remnants. With a pastry brush, apply the glaze onto the cake while the cake is still warm. If the glaze is too thick, thin to a preferred consistency with drops of water.

Ganache Glaze

Makes about 1 cup, enough to cover the top and sides of a 9 or 10 inch layer or tube cake **Ganache can take on many forms. While warm – great fudge sauce. While cool or lukewarm – semisweet glaze. Slightly chilled – can be whipped into a filling/frosting. Cold & solid – the base of candied chocolate truffles.

6 oz. (good) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, like Lindt

6 oz. (¾ cup heavy cream

1 tbsp. light corn syrup

1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier, Cointreay, or dark Jamaican rum (optional) (I omitted this)

¾ tsp. vanilla

½ - 1 tsp. hot water, if needed

Blend vanilla and liqueur/rum together and set aside. Break the chocolate into 1-inch pieces and place in the basket of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer into a medium sized bowl and set aside. Heat the cream and corn syrup in a saucepan, on low, until it reached a gentle boil. Once to the gently boil, immediately and carefully pour over the chocolate. Leave it alone for one minute, then slowly stir and mix the chocolate and cream together until the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the cream. Carefully blend in vanilla mixture. If the surface seems oily, add ½ - 1 tsp hot water. The glaze will thicken, but should still be pourable. If it doesn’t thicken, refrigerate for about 5 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t get too cold!

Assembling Cake

Cut a cardboard disk slightly smaller than the cake. Divide the cake into 3 layers and place the first layer top-side down on the disk. Using a pastry brush, moisten the layer with 3-4 Tbsp. of warm sugar syrup. Measure out 1 cup of praline buttercream and set aside.Spread the bottom layer with a ¼-inch thickness of the remaining buttercream. Cover with ½ of the whipped cream, leaving ¼-inch border around the edge of the cake. Place the middle layer over the first, brush with sugar syrup, spreading with buttercream. Cover with the remaining whipped cream. Moisten the cut side of the third layer with additional sugar syrup and place cut side down on the cake. Gently, press the sides of the cake to align the layers. Refrigerate to chill for at least 30 minutes. Lift the cake by sliding your palm under the cardboard. Holding a serrated or very sharp night with an 8-ich blade held parallel to the sides of the cake, trim the sides so that they are perfectly straight. Cut a slight bevel at the top to help the glaze drip over the edge. Brush the top and sides of the cake with warm apricot glaze, sealing the cut areas completely. Chill while you prepare the ganache.Place a rack over a large shallow pan to catch the ganache drippings. Remove the gateau from the refrigerator and put it the rack. With a metal spatula in hand, and holding the saucepan about 10 inches above the cake, pour the ganache onto the cake’s center. Move the spatula over the top of the ganache about 4 times to get a smooth and mirror-like appearance. The ganache should cover the top and run down the sides of the cake. When the ganache has been poured and is coating the cake, lift one side of the rack and bang it once on the counter to help spread the ganache evenly and break any air bubbles. (Work fast before setting starts.) Patch any bare spots on the sides with a smaller spatula, but do not touch the top after the “bang”. Let the cake stand at least 15 minutes to set after glazing.To garnish the cake, fit a 12 – 14-inch pastry bag with a #114 large leaf tip. Fill the bag with the reserved praline cream. Stating ½ inch from the outer edge of the cake, position the pastry tube at a 90 degree angle with the top almost touching the top of the cake. Apply pressure to the pastry bag, moving it slightly toward the center of the cake. As the buttercream flows on the cake, reverse the movement backward toward the edge of the cake and finish by pulling the bag again to the center. Stop applying pressure and press the bag downward, then quickly pull the tip up to break the flow of frosting. Repeat, making 12 leaves evenly spaced around the surface of the cake. Make a second row of leaves on the top of the first row, moving the pastry bag about ¾ inch closer to the center. The leaves should overlap. Make a 3rd row, moving closer and closer to the center. Add a 4th row if you have the room. But, leave a 2-inch space in the center for a chopped filbert garnish. Refrigerate uncovered for 3-4 hours to allow the cake to set. Remove the cake from the refrigerator at least 3 hours before serving.Leftover cake can be covered with foil and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.