Marjolaine Recipe | Saveur

Directions

1. Make the nut meringue: Place a rack within the heart of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Unfold the almonds on one half of a baking sheet and the hazelnuts on the opposite half. Bake the nuts till frivolously toasted, about 10 minutes. Put aside to chill.

2. Coat the underside and sides of a 12- by 18-inch baking sheet with nonstick spray and line the underside with parchment. Spray the parchment generously, then mud with flour and faucet out any extra. Put aside.

3. Rub the hazelnuts between your fingers or in a kitchen towel to loosen and take away the skins. In a meals processor fitted with a steel blade or in a blender, pulverize the hazelnuts, almonds, sugar, and cornstarch, then switch to a bowl.

4. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on low till frothy, about 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt, flip the velocity to excessive, and beat till the whites maintain stiff peaks, about 4 minutes. Progressively fold within the floor nut combination over the egg whites. Scrape the batter onto the ready baking sheet and clean with a spatula. Bake till gentle golden brown, 20–25 minutes. Put aside to chill utterly. (The nut meringue will be made as much as 3 days upfront and coated with plastic wrap.)

5. Make the praline: Place the almonds on a baking sheet and bake till frivolously toasted, about 10 minutes. Put aside to chill, then coarsely chop. 

6. Calmly coat a second baking sheet with nonstick spray or line it with a silicone baking mat and put aside. In a medium heavy skillet over medium warmth, unfold the sugar in an excellent layer. Cook dinner, with out stirring, till the sugar begins to soften on the underside or across the edges, about 2 minutes. Utilizing a heatproof spatula, slowly drag the liquefied sugar to the middle and stir gently till all of it has melted. Proceed cooking, stirring often, till the colour is deep amber and it begins to foam a bit, about 1 minute extra. Take away from the warmth and instantly stir within the almonds, then pour onto the ready baking sheet and unfold in an excellent layer. Put aside to chill utterly, about 10 minutes. 

7. Break up the praline together with your fingers. In a meals processor fitted with a steel blade or with a chef’s knife, chop the praline into very small items. Switch to a medium bowl. (The praline will be made 1 week upfront and saved in an hermetic container.)

8. Make the chocolate ganache: To a medium heatproof bowl, add the chocolate. To a small pot over medium warmth, add the crème fraîche and prepare dinner till it simply involves a boil, then pour over the chocolate. Put aside for 1 minute, then stir till the combination is totally clean. Put aside to chill.

9. Make the praline and vanilla lotions: To a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the crème fraîche, cream, sugar, and vanilla and beat on medium till the combination is stiff however nonetheless shiny, about 1½ minutes. Don’t overbeat.

10. For the praline cream, stir ⅔ cup of the whipped crème fraîche combination into the chopped praline. (The combination will appear considerably stiff however the components will meld, and by the point you’re prepared to make use of it, the praline cream can be spreadable.) Put aside. 

11. For the vanilla cream, add the cognac to the remaining crème fraîche combination and whisk frivolously till agency. Put aside.

12. To assemble the marjolaine, run a knife across the edges of the meringue to loosen it from the baking sheet, then place one other baking sheet excessive and invert the meringue. Peel away the parchment, holding down the meringue as you pull to maintain it from breaking. (In case you do break the meringue, it may be patched collectively when you find yourself assembling the layers.)

13. Utilizing a serrated knife, minimize the meringue crosswise (not lengthwise) into 4 even rectangles, every about 4½ by 12 inches. Cowl a baking sheet or giant rectangular platter with plastic wrap and set one meringue rectangle on high. Unfold ¾ cup of the chocolate ganache excessive in an excellent layer. High the ganache layer with a second meringue rectangle and unfold evenly with the vanilla cream. High with a 3rd meringue rectangle and unfold evenly with the praline cream. High with the final meringue rectangle. Cowl the marjolaine in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours. (The assembled unfrosted cake will be saved within the fridge for as much as 3 days.) Cowl the remaining ganache and refrigerate. 

14. To complete the cake, trim the tough edges with a serrated knife. Carry a small pot of water simply to a simmer, place the bowl of ganache over it, and warmth till spreadable. Unfold evenly excessive and sides of the cake. Utilizing the serrated knife, slice the marjolaine crosswise into slabs, dipping the blade in sizzling water and wiping it clear after every minimize. Serve at room temperature with frivolously sweetened whipped cream if desired.