Homemade-Nutella Tart
Since I was a little girl, I was a big fan of Nutella. Nowadays, I don’t eat it that often because of its high sugar and fat content. Although everyone in my family loves peanut butter, here in Mexico, it is unusual that as a kid, your mom make you a PB&J sandwich for lunch. Probably the equivalent to the peanut butter sandwich is the Nutella sandwich; it’s the easiest lunch a Mexican mom can prepare for her child, and it certainly will not receive complaints.
Long ago I read the recipe for this Homemade-Nutella tart, and I really wanted to try it. What I liked the most was the idea of the homemade Nutella. But I was waiting to prepare it, sometimes, especially with decadent desserts, I prefer to delay my culinary experiments until I have a reunion or a party. In that way I help the host with the dessert, I try a small slice and then I will not have any temptation in my house hahaha. I finally had the opportunity to prepare this tart. I made it for the annual Christmas dinner we organize with my girl-friends. That is why all the photos are of the entire tart, I couldn’t cut it.
It is a recipe that takes some time to prepare it. First you have to make the Pâte Sucrée, then the infusion with the hazelnuts and finally the filling with the chocolate. Then you have to let it cool until it sets. But I think it is worth the effort. Apparently all my friends loved it, one of them said it was like eating Nutella by the spoonful. Some of them even repeated.
It’s a very delicious tart, with a chocolate flavor perfectly balanced with the nutty flavor of the hazelnuts, plus it’s not so sweet. And the best part is that the recipe doesn’t call for extra sugar, only the one that the chocolate has. The perfect tart for this season, almost designed for sharing!
- 114 gr (4 oz) butter, at room temperature and cut in 8 pieces
- 50 gr (1.8 oz) sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 140 gr (4.9 oz) flour
- 1 egg yolk
- 140 gr (4.9 oz) whole hazelnuts
- 480 gr (16.9 oz)heavy cream
- 454 gr (16 oz) milk chocolate, chopped
- 56 gr (2 oz) semisweet chocolate, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Lightly flour a 25 cm /10 in tart pan.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and salt until well combined. The mixture should be pale in color. Mix in the flour until combined; it should have the same texture as wet sand. Beat in the egg yolk and beat until the mixture starts to come together.
- Turn the dough out and wrap it in plastic-wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least for 30 minutes. (It can be frozen and used later). Remove from refrigerator and let stand, at room temperature, for 30 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, evenly knead the dough until one centimeter thick (half inch).
- Roll the dough circle around the pin and then unfold it on top of the tart pan. Press the dough into the bottom and sides, trim the edge of the dough and use the excess to patch up and tears or missing bits. With a fork, prick the bottom. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and bake for 30 -35 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. On a wire rack, let cool to room temperature. Remove the tart ring.
- Reserve 16 hazelnuts, they will be used for the decoration.
- Heat the oven to 180° C (350°F). Place the hazelnut in a single layer in a baking sheet. Toast them until browned, 10-12 minutes. Divide the hazelnuts in two.
- In a coffee grinder, pulse half the hazelnuts until you have a fine flour texture. This is your hazelnut flour. Coarsely chopped the other half of the hazelnuts.
- In a medium saucepan, mix the heavy cream with the hazelnut flour and scald over medium heat (bubbles will appear in the edges of the pan, but it should not boil). Remove from heat. Let it stand for one hour, so the cream can be infused with the hazelnuts. Strain with a fine mesh strainer or using a cheese-cloth.
- Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Sit over a pan of barely simmering water and allow the chocolate to melt, stir constantly. Remove from heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes. Add the hazelnut infused heavy cream and mix until well combined. Add the chopped hazelnuts, salt and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Pour into the tart shell. Refrigerate 3-4 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and garnish the edges with the 16 whole hazelnuts.
- If you end up with extra Nutella filling, save it in a container with a lid. Refrigerate and spread it on your morning toast.
- Before serving, remove the tart from the fridge 1 hour before. So it is softer and much easier to cut.
