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Make the praline: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the
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hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Toast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the
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smell permeates the air. To see if the nuts are toasted, cut one in
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half; it should be golden brown in the center. Remove from the oven
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and let cool slightly. To remove the skins, place the nuts on a towel
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and rub; the skins will slip off.
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2. Lightly oil a sheet of foil; set aside.
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3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the sugar, stirring
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occasionally. It should start to melt after about 6 minutes. The
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sugar will be lumpy and granular, and look like a mistake.
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Persevere!. Within the next few minutes, those lumps will melt into a
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smooth, amber-colored liquid. Lower the heat and stir in the toasted
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hazelnuts, coating the nuts thoroughly. The mixture will be very
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sticky. Immediately scrape the mixture with a metal spoon (do not use
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a rubber spatula) onto the foil, spreading it out. Use a metal spoon
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dipped in water to flatten it. The praline will become brittle and
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difficult to pour as soon as you remove it form the heat, and you
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will not be able to scrape every last drop from the pan -- don't
|
worry. (To clean the pan, soak it in hot, soapy water. The sugar will
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dissolve.)
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4. Let the praline cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Break
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it into pieces and put it in a food processor. Pulse to chop as
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finely as possible into a lumpy powder. You should have 2 cups; the
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praline can keep idefinitely in an airtight container in the freezer.
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Make the truffles: 5. In a microwave-safe medium bowl, combine the
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chopped chocolate and the butter. Heat on high for 1 minute. Stir
|
until smooth. If the chocolate is still fairly solid, heat for
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another 30 seconds. Stir the mixture until smooth. If there still
|
seem to be several unmelted pieces of chocolate, heat again for about
|
20 seconds, and then stir.
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6. Add the coffee and hazelnut liqueur and stir until smooth.
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7. Add the hazelnut praline and mix in thoroughly.
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******************************************************* ************
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TO COMPLETE, FOLLOW "TRUFFLE GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS, PART 2"
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******************************************************* ************
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Source: Corby Kummer's "Joy of Coffee"
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