Hazelnuts and Coffee Tart with Vanilla Whipped Cream

Crust:

1. In a food processor with a steel blade, put flour, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt and process until a crumbly mixture is obtained.
2. Add the yolk and continue to process until large chunks of dough form. If the dough does not combine into large lumps – gradually add a little water.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and form a disc shape.
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and cool in the refrigerator for about an hour.
5. On a floured surface, roll the dough about 3-4 mm thick and place it into the tart pan, making sure to create a right angle between the sides and the base, ensuring that the edges remain high while baking.
6. Pierce the base with a fork.
7. Freeze the crust for about an hour.
8. Preheat oven to 170 Celsius degrees.
9. Blind baking: place a sheet of heat-resistant plastic wrap or crumpled baking paper on the frozen crust and fill with legumes or special baking weights.
10. Bake in this way for 12-14 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven and return to another 5-6 minutes of baking until the crust turn lightly golden (it’s not supposed to be fully baked at this moment).

Hazelnut coffee cream:

1. In a food processor with a steel blade, put hazelnuts, butter, sugar, coffee, salt and flour and process at high speed until a crumbly mixture is obtained.
2. Add egg and espresso and mix until you get a uniform thick cream.
3. Pour the cream on the half-baked crust and straighten the top.
4. Bake the tart for 10-15 minutes or until the cream turns golden and sets.

Coffee mousse:

1. Carefully pad a 20 cm baking ring with cling paper or baking paper and place on a tray.
2. In a small bowl, mix gelatin and 20 ml. of water and set aside for 10-15 minutes until gelatin absorbs all liquids.
3. In a small pot, place milk and coffee together and heat to a boil.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and sugar into a uniform mixture.
5. Pour about 1/3 of the boiling milk mixture over the egg yolk mixture, mixing well until the mixture is uniformly combined.
6. Add the mixture to the pot with the remaining milk and cook on a low-medium flame, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 82-84 Celsius degrees and slightly thickens.
7. Add the gelatin to the mixture and mix well until it completely melts.
8. Drain the cream into a clean bowl and let it cool for about 10 minutes at room temperature.
9. Whip the whipping cream into soft peaks stage and gently fold it into the coffee mixture until you get a uniform, slightly diluted mousse (it will set while cooling).
10. Pour the mousse into the20 cm baking ring, straighten the top to a uniform layer with a palate knife, and freeze for about 4-5 hours or until the mousse is completely set.

Coffee glaze:

1. In a small bowl, mix gelatin, espresso and 20 ml. of water and set aside for about 10-15 minutes until the gelatin absorbs all the liquids.
2. Place 200 ml. of water, corn syrup and sugar in a small pot and bring to a strong boil, making sure all the sugar is melted.
3. Add the gelatin into the syrup and stir well until it melts.
4. Drain the glaze into a medium bowl and let it cool to about 35 Celsius degrees. It is important not to use the glaze while it is too hot, as it may dissolve the mousse instead of coating at it in a thin layer.
5. Remove the frozen mousse from the baking ring and place it on a grid, which is placed on top of a baking pan lined with baking paper (to absorb the residue of the glaze).
6. Pour the coffee glaze on top of the mousse, making sure that it is uniformly coating all sides. At this stage it is important to work quickly, because the glaze immediately stabilizes on the frozen mousse.
7. Transfer the coated mousse to the freezer for 10 minutes to harden. If you think the coating is a little too thin, you can glaze with a second layer of coffee glaze (the remaining residue on the baking paper).

Assemble the tart:

1. Place the coated mousse layer in the center of the baked tart, leaving a narrow edge for the vanilla cream.

Vanilla cream:

1. In a mixer bowl whip cream, vanilla and powdered sugar into a very firm whipped vanilla cream.
2. Transfer the cream into a piping bag fitted with 1 cm round piping tip and drizzle cream mounds on the edges of the tart (in the part between the tart crust and the mousse).

Hazelnut nougatine:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 Celsius degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. In a small pan, put corn syrup and sugar and heat until all the sugar has melted and the mixture is bubbling, but still light in color.
3. Add chopped nuts and stir.
4. Pour the mixture on the baking paper and bake for 6-7 minutes or until bubbling and golden.
5. Cool for 2-3 minutes at room temperature and when the nougatine is still slightly warm, cut-out a 16 cm round circle.
6. Cool completely until set.
7. Decorate the tart with a circle of nougatine right in the center.