CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT SCHAUM TORTE
Ever since I can remember, my mother made a meringue topped with strawberries for Passover dessert, though it always seemed too sweet to me. When visiting my son’s in-laws in Copenhagen, I was so pleased to be served nearly the same meringue as my childhood, but this time studded with roasted hazelnuts and chunks of bittersweet chocolate, cutting its sweetness. Now my family’s Passover tradition continues in this updated recipe adapted from my new cookbook, My Life In Recipes (Alfred A. Knopf, 2024). It works well throughout the year, especially for gluten-free guests (see Tip if you will be cooking it in a humid environment). You can even make this dish dairy-free by using coconut cream in place of the heavy cream. Excellent for any celebration, this dessert feels quite fancy but involves little effort. Yield: 8 to 10 servings Total time: About 23⁄ 4 hours
Ingredients:
135g hazelnuts 4 large egg whites 100g granulated sugar 170g dark 70% chocolate, cut into bite-size pieces 240ml heavy cream or coconut cream 1-2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced, for garnish Cocoa powder (optional), for dusting
Preparation:
1. Heat the oven to 180C. Line a large sheet pan with parchment. 2. Set the hazelnuts on a large baking sheet and bake, shaking the pan every 5 minutes, until nuts are toasted and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Once the hazelnuts have toasted, immediately transfer them to a kitchen towel and wrap them up tightly. Let sit, 2 minutes, then rub the hazelnuts in the towel between your palms to release their skins. Pluck out the toasted hazelnuts, transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop them. Let cool. 3. Whip the egg whites in a stand mixer at medium speed just until soft, satiny peaks start to form, about 2 minutes. Next, slowly add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is shiny, with stiff peaks, another 2 to 3 minutes. (It is ready when you can turn the bowl upside down without having the egg whites fall.) Carefully fold the cooled nuts and chocolate into the meringue using a flexible spatula, then spoon it onto the lined sheet pan in a large, rustic circle that is about 23cm wide. 4. Bake for 10 minutes at 180C, then lower the oven temperature to 150C and bake for 50 more minutes. Avoiding the urge to open the oven, turn the oven off and let the meringue cool in the oven, at least 1 hour. 5. Carefully move the meringue onto a serving plate. Just before serving, whip the cream and spoon it over the meringue. Top with sliced strawberries, dust with cocoa powder (if using) and serve. Tip: If you live in a humid environment, your meringue is more likely to weep. To avoid this, stir 1 tsp potato starch or cornstarch into the sugar before slowly adding it to the egg whites.