t
wasn't so long ago that the only time fresh hazelnuts (filberts) were sold in
grocery
stores was during the Christmas season. Even then they were only sold with
other unshelled nuts to be broken apart with a nutcracker and eaten out of hand.
Fortunately we have now begun to see raw shelled hazelnuts available,
maybe not in all grocery stores, but certainly in specialty food stores and
through mail order.
Inside the shell of a hazelnut is a rich and buttery nut that is
encased in a dark
brown skin. Now this skin is quite bitter tasting and needs to be removed
before the nuts can be used for baking. This is done by toasting the nuts until they are brown and fragrant and the skins
start to peel away from the nuts. Once the toasted hazelnuts are removed
from the oven they need to be wrapped in a clean dish towel and allowed to steam
for a few minutes. This 'steaming' softens the skins of the hazelnuts so
they will easily slip away from the nut. Once the hazelnuts have been left
to cool they are now ready for your recipe.
This recipe differs slightly from your basic
shortbread in that we are using brown sugar, instead of white and unlike the
pecan shortbreads where the nuts are left in pieces, here the hazelnuts are
finely ground.
This gives a shortbread with a sandy texture and
nutty taste. The prepared dough is pressed into two tart pans and
scored lightly to produce
wedge-shaped shortbreads that can be
dipped in melted dark chocolate. Wedge-shaped shortbreads are also known
as "petticoat tails" because the shape of the wedges are similar in shape
to the bell-hoop petticoats worn by court ladies in the 12th century. And
don't worry if the tips of the shortbreads break off. You are not alone. Dorothy Hartley once said (quoted from the Oxford Companion to Food by Alan
Davidson) "Every cook knows how the pointed ends of cut cakes and biscuits break
off - so, after several centuries of broken tips, someone evolved the cure: they
cut a circle out of the centre before baking......"
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180
degrees C). Place rack in center of oven. Lightly grease (or spray with Pam)
two - 8 or 9 -inch (20 or 23 cm) tart pans with removable bottoms.
Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and
bake for approximately 15 minutes or until brown and fragrant and the skins
start to
peel. Remove from oven, place the warm hazelnuts in a clean dish towel, roll it
up, and let
the nuts steam for 5 minutes. Briskly rub the
nuts to remove most of their skins. Set aside to let the nuts cool.
Place the hazelnuts and 2 tablespoons (30
grams) of the brown sugar in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are
finely chopped. Set aside.
In a small bowl combine the flour,
cornstarch (rice flour) and salt. Set aside.
In bowl of electric mixer, cream and butter
and remaining brown sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and beat
until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated.
Stir in the nut mixture.
Divide the dough in half.
Press each half evenly into the prepared tart pan Using a sharp knife,
score (make shallow lines) each shortbread into 16 even pieces. Place in
preheated oven and bake until deep golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer
shortbread to rack and cool for five minutes before removing from tart pan. Place
the shortbread round on a cutting board and cut each shortbread round into 16
wedges (along the lines
scored). Cool completely on a wire rack.
While the shortbread
cools make the chocolate glaze. In a stainless steel bowl, over a
saucepan of simmering water, melt
the chocolate and shortening. Stir until chocolate is smooth and completely
melted. Remove from heat. Either dip each wedge into
the chocolate or alternatively put the chocolate in a pastry bag fitted with a small tip or a paper cone
and pipe chocolate in a decorative pattern. Let stand until chocolate
sets. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
Makes 32 cookies
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Magazine
Hazelnut
Shortbreads:
1 cup (140 grams)
hazelnuts, toasted and
skins removed
3 ounces (90
grams) semisweet or bittersweet
chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon
vegetable shortening.
NOTE: You can use two
cake pans instead of tart pans, butter and flour pans well (or spray
with Bakers Joy). To remove shortbread from pans after having baked
and cooled for 5 minutes, take a plate slightly smaller than the pan, place the plate of the surface of the shortbread, and invert the shortbread
carefully on it. Reinvert the shortbread onto a cutting board and cut into
16
wedges (along
score lines). Cool on wire rack.
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