Off The Menu

Whiskey Truffle Torte

BY LINDA GARSON I PHOTO BY DONG KIM

E LOVE HEARING FROM from readers requesting their W favourite recipes, and particularly to receive an email like this:

“I’ve been reading this magazine for years and absolutely love it! The gluten-free hazelnut torte from Decadent Brulee is heavenly. I was wondering if you could source out and print a recipe.”

Thank you, Loreta T.”

How could we resist, flattery will get you everywhere! Many thanks to Decadent Brulee for sharing their recipe for this decadent torte.

Whiskey Truffle Torte

Makes one 25 cm torte

1 cup ground hazelnuts 337 g unsalted butter 675 g semi-sweet dark chocolate 1½ tsp (7 mL) coffee 3 Tbs (45 mL) whiskey 1½ tsp (7 mL) pure vanilla 9 eggs, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. 2. Spray/butter a 25 cm (10”) springform pan, and line with a parchment circle. Wrap the bottom with foil. Prepare a water bath in a pan large enough to hold this pan. 3. Toast hazelnuts approximately 8-10 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool. 4. Melt butter and chocolate together. 5. In a small bowl, dissolve the coffee in the whiskey, add vanilla. 6. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the eggs on high speed to ribbon stage. 7. Mix the hazelnuts and whiskey mixture into the melted chocolate. Fold gently together with the eggs. 8. Pour into the prepared pan and place into the hot water bath, bake 30 minutes. The centre will still be soft. Remove from the water bath and let cool. Using your fingertips, push down to somewhat level the surface, then wrap and refrigerate overnight. 9. Using a paring knife dipped in hot water, run the knife around the edge of the springform pan to release the cake. Remove the ring. Lift to remove the paper from the bottom. Leaving the cake on the springform bottom, place on a rack over a bowl or sheet pan large enough to catch the drippings. 10. Pour the ganache over, allowing it to fill the uneven top surface and run down the sides. Allow the ganache to set somewhat, then press chocolate curls or more toasted ground hazelnuts on the sides to finish.

Ganache

500g semi-sweet dark chocolate, chopped 2 cups (500 mL) whipping cream

Place the chocolate into a bowl. Bring the cream to a boil, then pour over the chocolate. Allow to sit 5 minutes, then stir until the chocolate is melted completely.

If there’s a dish in a restaurant in Alberta that you’d love to make at home, let us know at culinairemagazine.ca, and we’ll do our very best to track down the recipe for you!