A lot can be learnt from the French when it comes to baking and cuisine. I’ve long been drawn to romantic ideas of luxurious pastries, bread and desserts, all made with butters, creams and flavours of faraway lands. Living in New Zealand and having a sweet tooth, my imagination can only but go wild thinking of these delicacies.

So, for this recipe I was really inspired by the flavours of a Parisian cafe. Much like my romantic ideas of baked goods in France, I wanted to include pastry, creams and lots and lots of hazelnuts. I’ve chosen to capture the flavours, blitz it into a butter, and develop a tart worthy of its origins.

Nespresso’s Limited Edition Parisian Gourmandise coffee collection is also inspired by Paris this festive season. Much like the inspiration for my Praline Cream Tart, Nespresso has released Variations Paris Praline, Variations Paris Macaron and Paris Black. Bringing the opulence of a Parisian Christmas to Kiwi homes, these quintessential French flavours are perfect for coffee and style lovers alike.

After December’s many coffees, my recycle canister will be filled with the infinitely recyclable capsules for me to drop off at my local NZ Post Shop, Nespresso boutique or florist, to give them a second life.

5.0 from 8 reviews

Praline Cream Tart

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Prep time

1 hour 20 mins

Cook time

4 hours

Total time

5 hours 20 mins

Serves: 12 Slices

Ingredients

Praline Butter
300g Raw Hazelnuts
200g Caster Sugar
2 Tablespoon Water
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Pastry
200g Plain Flour
60g Caster Sugar
120g Butter
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Filling
170g Cream Cheese
250ml Cream
200g Praline Butter
50g Icing Sugar
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions

To start, let’s make some hazelnut praline which will then become the Praline Butter.
To toast the hazelnuts, line a baking tray and bake at 180°C for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant and skins have begun to come away. Remove hazelnuts from the oven and rub vigorously between clean tea towels to remove skins. Once clean, place in a shallow baking dish on a sheet of greaseproof paper and set aside.
Add remaining praline ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure not to stir. Boil for roughly 4-5 minutes or until the sugar syrup turns a warm amber colour. Quickly pour over top of prepared hazelnuts and allow to cold and harden.
Once cooled and set, break up the hazelnut praline and place shards into a food processor. Blitz on a medium to high speed until praline has broken up and resembles a fine crumb. Continue to blitz until crumb releases oils and breaks down into a butter. Pour freshly made Praline Butter into a jar, ready to use shortly.
Next, it’s time to make the pastry crust for the tart.
Add the flour, caster sugar and butter into a food processor once again and blitz to a fine crumb. Finally, add the egg and vanilla and blitz once more until a dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a clean floured surface and knead lightly into a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to chill. While chilling, line or grease a 25cm circular tart pan and set aside. Remove dough from the fridge and either roll to fit, or use fingers and palms to mould bottom and sides of prepared pan. Carefully line inside of the pan with greaseproof paper or foil and fill with baking beans. Blind bake at 180°C for 20 minutes, remove baking beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely (a fridge may help).
Lastly, it’s time to make the Praline Cream filling.
Either using a free-standing mixer or hand-held beater, mix together the cream cheese and praline butter until smooth. Add icing sugar and mix until incorporated. Using a hand-held beater in another bowl or jug, add the cream and vanilla and whip until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream through praline mixture and then pour filling into a prepared and cooled tart crust. Smooth top and sprinkle with reserved praline pieces (if any) and chopped hazelnuts. Place in the fridge to set, roughly 3-4 hours or overnight.
Slice and enjoy chilled.

Giveaway! – Closed

To celebrate the Limited Edition Parisian Gourmandise coffee collection, Nespresso would love to share these with one of my readers.

To be in to win a trio pack of the 3 Limited Edition festive flavours, all you need to do is leave a comment below letting me know which flavour you’re most excited to try and why?

– Variations Paris Macaron
– Variations Paris Praline
– Paris Black

Entries to this giveaway end on Sunday 9th December and one winner will be drawn at random on the same day. Winner will then be notified by Facebook and email. Open to New Zealand readers only. Best of luck!