August 20 – Saint Philibert of Jumièges and Recipes for Hazelnuts Named in His Honor

August 19, 2013

Saint Philbert

Saint Philibert of Jumièges (c. 608–684) was the only son of a Frankish noble, a courtier of Dagobert I. He was educated at court by Saint Ouen and entered monastic life at Rebais and was elected abbot at the age of 20.

In 654, St. Philibert received a gift of land from Clovis II on which he founded Jumièges Abbey. He drew up a Rule for this abbey which he used for the religious institutions he later came to govern or founded. He founded the monastery of Noirmoutier, was made superior of Luçon Abbey by the bishop of Poitiers, founded the monastery of Cunaut and the nunnery at Pavilly.

Ruins of the Abbey Jumièges

Ruins of the Abbey Jumièges

During the convulsions that racked France during the French Revolution, his abbey of Jumièges was destroyed.

The filbert, or hazelnut, was named after him, as it ripens in England around the time of his feast day, August 20.

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Three Delicious Hazelnut-Using Recipes to Choose From

 

Recipe 1

Chocolate Hazelnut Torte

1/2 cup hazelnuts

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup granulated white sugar (divided)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Note:  Cream of tartar is used when whipping eggs whites to help stabilize them, and to prevent them from drying out and being over beaten.

Serves 10 – 12.

Chocolate Hazelnut TorteTo toast nuts:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.  Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until nuts are brown and fragrant and the skins are starting to peel away from the nuts. Remove from oven and place the nuts in a clean dish towel. Roll up the towel and let the nuts ‘steam’ for about five minutes and then rub the nuts to remove the skins. Let cool.

To make ground hazelnuts: Once the hazelnuts have completely cooled, place in a food processor, along with the flour and salt, and process until hazelnuts are finely ground.  Set aside.

To make Torte: Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line the bottom of an 8 x 3 inch (20 x 7.5 cm) round cake pan or springform pan with parchment paper.

Separate the eggs while they are still cold, placing the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another. Cover the two bowls with plastic wrap and allow the eggs to come to room temperature before using (this will take about 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the egg yolks with 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar until pale and thick (about 3 – 5 minutes). (When you raise the beaters the mixture will slowly fall back into the bowl in a ribbon.) Beat in the vanilla extract. With a rubber spatula gently fold in the warm chocolate mixture and the nut and flour mixture. Set aside while you whip the egg whites.

In a clean bowl, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, at medium speed, until foamy and then add the cream of tartar. Continue beating until soft peaks form.  Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar, beating at high speed until stiff but not dry. With a large spatula or whisk, fold a small amount of the whites into the chocolate batter to lighten it. Quickly fold in the remaining whites. Do not over mix or the batter will deflate. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake shows moist crumbs.

Cool the torte completely in the pan on a wire rack. It will rise and then fall in the center, leaving a higher rim of cake around the sides and there will also be some cracking and crumbs. Once the torte has cooled completely remove from pan. Serve with softly whipped cream or cover the torte with this ganache recipe below.

Ganache Recipe:

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoons cognac or brandy

If the cake you are covering needs to be refrigerated, first chill the cake. (This will ensure that the ganache will not lose its shine when the cake is stored in the refrigerator.)

chocolate ganache

Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized heatproof bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. (Can also heat the cream and butter in the microwave.) Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand, without stirring, for a few minutes. Stir gently (as you do not want to incorporate air into the ganache) with a spoon or whisk until smooth. If desired, add the liqueur.

Makes enough ganache to cover one – 9 inch (23 cm) cake or torte.

To Cover a Torte or Cake:  First, brush any loose crumbs from the cake. Using a cake spatula or knife, cover the sides and top of the cake with a thin layer of ganache. (This is called a crumb coat and seals in any cake crumbs so that your cake will have a smooth finish.) Refrigerate the cake for about 5 minutes or until the crumb coat has set. Then place the cake on a wire rack, and put the wire rack on top of a large baking sheet (to catch any excess ganache that drips from cake.) Then pour the ganache into the center of the cake. Working quickly, spread the ganache with a large metal spatula or knife, using big strokes to push the ganache over the sides of the cake. (This will create an even coating of ganache.) If there are any bare spots on the sides of the cake, cover with ganache. Let the ganache set before covering and storing the cake.

Leftover ganache can be strained to remove any crumbs. It can be used to make chocolate truffles. Cover and refrigerate the ganache until firm (several hours or overnight). Roll into small balls and then roll in cocoa powder, confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar or chopped nuts. You can use your hands to form the truffles, a melon baller or small spoon. Truffles can be refrigerated for a couple of weeks or else frozen for a couple of months.

Preparation time 45 minutes.

Taken from JoyofBaking.com http://www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolateHazelnutTorte.html

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Fleur

Recipe 2

Nutella Crepes

Ingredients

Sweet crêpes (using this recipe, you should have 12 crepes)

1 cup Nutella

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (use 3 Tablespoons of sugar)

Nutella was invented in Italy during WWII because there was a lack of chocolate, but there was no shortage of hazelnuts.

Nutella was invented in Italy during WWII because there was a lack of chocolate, but there was no shortage of hazelnuts.

Garnish

¼ cup Nutella

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (use 3 Tablespoons of sugar)

Powdered sugar

32 banana slices, 1/2 inch thick

1/4 cup finely chopped hazelnuts

Crepes

Directions

  1. Make crêpes, use this recipe.
  2. Whip heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar.
  3. Gently fold whipped cream into Nutella.
  4. Spread the Nutella mixture on one side of each crepe, stopping 1” from the edges. Fold crepe in half, then in half again, then set aside. Continue doing this with all the rest of the crepes.
  5. Heat the (garnish) ¼ cup Nutella on high until slightly thinned. Drizzle melted Nutella over folded crêpes, then place 4 banana slices on each plate. Sprinkle with hazelnuts, dust with powdered sugar, then garnish with additional whipped cream, if desired. Serve immediately. Makes 12
Corylus avellana, also called hazelnut. A hazelnut is the nut of the hazel and is also known as a filbert nut. Turkey is the largest producer of hazelnuts in the world with approximately 75% of worldwide production. In the United States, they are grown in Oregon and Washington.

Corylus avellana, also called hazelnut. A hazelnut is the nut of the hazel and is also known as a filbert nut. Turkey is the largest producer of hazelnuts in the world with approximately 75% of worldwide production. In the United States, they are grown in Oregon and Washington.

 

Recipe 3

Hazelnut Butter

Butter

 Makes: 1 cup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
2 teaspoon honey

Directions:

In a small mixing bowl stir together hazelnuts, butter, and honey. If not serving immediately, cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving. Delicious with asparagus, carrots, peas or you can use it on toast, scones, pancakes, etc.

If you wish to make the Hazelnut Butter as a stick, make the recipe as above, line a square butter glass top with plastic wrap. Drop the whipped butter into the plastic lined butter dish and fold over the plastic. Put the dish in the freezer for one hour and then unmold.

stick of hazelnut butter

Recipe taken from: (edited by Nobility.org)

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/289/Hazelnut_Butter2786.shtml

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