Nutty Dacquoise with Chocolate Ganache
A dacquoise is a baked meringue that has been combined with ground nuts and then baked and frosted. This dessert will look like a cake but taste like a crispy nut cookie covered in chocolate. How bad can that be? CKCA Senior Chef Instructor shares the following deceptively simple recipe for a delicious and sophisticated dessert.
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Ingredients
Dacquoise:
- 1 1/2 cup unsalted pistachios, almonds, or walnuts, shelled
- 4 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 1/4 cup egg whites
- pinch salt
Chocolate Ganache:
- 12 ounce semi sweet chocolate, chopped and melted
- 9 fluid ounces non-dairy creamer
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
- 1 dash vanilla
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F and cover one large or two small baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Grind the pistachios in a food processor or nut grinder. They should be the consistency of cornmeal and as dry as possible.
- Combine with 3/4-1 cup of the sugar and set aside.
- Using a very dry, very clean bowl (no moisture at all or the meringue will not come together), whip the egg whites at medium speed, with a pinch of salt.
- While increasingly the speed, gradually add about two cups of sugar.
- Once the egg whites form soft peaks, gradually add the remaining sugar and whip until smooth and glossy.
- Sprinkle the nut mixture over the meringue and fold in by hand with a spatula.
- Load the mixture into a storage-sized zip top bag or pastry bag, and cut out one 3/4-1 inch corner.
- Pipe two or three large, cake-sized concentric circles on the parchment paper, starting in the middle of each circle.
- Bake until firm and crisp but not browned, approximately 1 hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
- Heat the non-dairy creamer just to boiling, and stir into the bowl with the chocolate pieces. Mix until smooth, and allow it to cool slightly before using.
- Frost the top of one meringue with chocolate ganache and layer a meringue on top. Frost the top but keep the sides free of ganache.
- Serve to astounded seder guests, and enjoy!
Contributed by: Elizabeth Book Kratz, CKCA
