Gianduia Mousse

When a classic French dessert marries a beloved Italian confection, you get gianduia mousse.
Don't be afraid of pronouncing it.
 Just say "ghan-do-ya", with a soft "g". Then say:

Gianduia is an ethereal combination of ground hazelnuts and chocolate. You probably know it as Nutella.

(ALERT: World Nutella Day is coming up fast - February 5. Stay tuned!)

Rather than using Nutella straight from the jar, this recipe has you making your own hazelnut paste. You can do it - it's easy! So is the rest of this recipe.

The mousse was the sweet ending to our cooking group's Italian feast last Sunday. 

So before we got to dessert, we sampled swiss chard crostata, focaccia, ravioli with pear and pecorino, chicken saltimbocca, roasted green beams with pine nuts and lemon and a lovely tri-colore salad with frico. Whew.

Even after all that, it was hard to resist the mousse.

Gianduia Mousse

from Fine Cooking Real Italian

First, make the hazelnut butter. It can be made in advance and refrigerated in a sealed container for up to three months. Bring to room temperature before using.

You'll need

8 oz. hazelnuts (1 2/3 cups), toasted and skinned

1/4 cup vegetable oil

To toast and skin the hazelnuts, heat the oven to 350. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in oven until the skins are mostly split and the nuts are light golden brown and fragrant, 15-18 minutes. Watch carefully!

Put the warm hazelnuts in a clean dishtowel. Fold the towel around the hazelnuts and let them steam for at least 5 minutes. Then rub the nuts inside the towel to remove most of the skins. Don't worry if you don't get it all. Even if you just get half off, it'll be fine. Let the nuts cool completely.

Put the nuts in a food processor, add the oil and pulse a few times. Process, checking the consistency every few seconds, until the mixture looks like natural peanut butter (creamy but slightly grainy) or wet sand. It should take a minute or two.

For the mousse, you'll need

6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup hazelnut butter

2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a 2-quart metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is completely smooth. In a separate small sauce pan, heat 1/2 cup of the cream to just below the boiling point. Remove the bowl of chocolate form the pan of water, wiping the bottom and sides dry if necessary. Pour the hot cream into the melted chocolate and stir together until well-blended. Add the hazelnut butter and combine well, then add vanilla.

In a chilled mixing bowl, using chilled beaters, beat the remaining one cup cream until it holds soft peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture in four batches, blending thoroughly after each addition.

Pour the mousse into a 1 1/2 quart souffle dish or serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours.

For the garnish, beat  1/2 cup heavy cream until frothy. Add 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and continue beating until the cream holds soft peaks. Garnish individual servings of the mousse with the whipped cream, and some chopped hazelnuts.