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Nutella + Wafer Cookies = Ferrero Rocher Frozen Pie

YumSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:15:16 -0700

After drooling over PartySugar’s mojito cakes, I wanted to experiment with my own freezer pie. When searching for a recipe, I remembered one of my favorite frozen dessert cookbooks, Icebox Pies by Lauren Chattman. Since I'm crazy for Nutella, I decided to make her Gianduia Pie. Gianduia is a type of chocolate candy made with hazelnuts or almonds.
I was unable to find chocolate wafer cookies, so I substituted Fudge Stick cookies, a wafer sandwich-cookie covered in chocolate. To my delight, the creamy, chocolately, hazelnut filling and crunchy crust reminded me of delicious Ferrero Rocher chocolates, minus the gold wrapping! Learn how to make this divine yet minimal, no-bake pie when you, read more!

Gianduia Pie
Adapted from Ice Box Pies by Lauren Chattman

Ingredients

Crust
20 Fudge Wafer Bar Cookies
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Filling
3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1 1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 13 ounce jar of Nutella

Directions

Preheat the oven 350°F. Place all of hazelnuts (1 1/4 cup) on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes until they are fragrant.
Place the nuts on a clean kitchen towel and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Once cool, rub the nuts with the towel to remove the skin. A little skin won't hurt but try to remove as much as possible.
Make the crust: place the nuts and cookies in a food processor and grind finely. Combine the crumb and nut mixture, butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a medium size mixing bowl and stir until the crumb and nut mixture is moistened.
Press the mixture evenly across the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate and all the way up the sides of the pan, packing it tightly with your fingertips so it is even and compacted.
Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes until edges start to become firm. The crust will become more firm as it cools. Let cool completely before filling. The crust may be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 month.
Make the filling: place 3/4 cup toasted and skinned hazelnuts in a food processor and process until very fine.
Combine the cream and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
Place the Nutella in a medium-size mixing bowl and stir in one quarter of the whipped cream.
Gently fold the lightened Nutella mixture back into the remaining whipped cream. Fold in the chopped hazelnuts.
Scrape the filling into the prepared pie shell and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the filling is completely set, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

Serves 8 or makes one 9-inch pie.

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7 Easy No-Bake Desserts

YumSugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:30:06 -0700

Let's face it: some days, it's too hot to even consider turning the oven on. However, the heat shouldn't hold you back from making delicious desserts. Here are seven sans-oven options (even cookies and tarts!) that you can turn to when the heat is on.

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Easy No Bake Cake

partysugar — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:57:31 -0700

An icebox cake is a cake made by freezing instead of baking. The chilled mixture of layered ingredients harden to form a solidified dessert. An icebox cake also ends up saving you from heating the house with the stove and it makes an excellent finish to a meal. The elegant Italian flavors of espresso and mascarpone are highlighted in this creamy and satisfying cake. If you are drooling over the picture and must make this recipe, read more

Espresso & Mascarpone Icebox Cake
From Gourmet magazine

3 cups chilled heavy cream
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup mascarpone cheese (about 9 oz) at room temperature
1 (9-oz) box chocolate wafers such as Nabisco Famous
1 tablespoon instant-espresso powder*
Special equipment: a 9 1/2- to 10-inch springform pan (about 26 cm)

Beat 2 cups cream with 6 tablespoons sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until it just holds soft peaks, 2 to 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low, then add mascarpone and mix until combined.
Spread 1 1/4 cups mascarpone mixture evenly in bottom of springform pan and cover with 14 wafers, slightly overlapping if necessary. Spread with another 1 1/4 cups mascarpone mixture, followed by 14 more wafers arranged in the same manner.
Spread remaining mascarpone mixture on top. Smooth top with a metal offset spatula, then cover pan with foil and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
Transfer from freezer to refrigerator and chill, covered, until a sharp knife inserted into center cuts through softened wafers easily, about 8 hours.
Pulse remaining chocolate wafers in a food processor until finely ground.
Beat remaining cup cream with espresso powder and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar using electric mixer at medium speed until it just holds stiff peaks, about 3 minutes.
Remove foil and side of pan and frost cake all over with espresso cream. Sprinkle edge of top lightly with wafer crumbs. Serve cold.

Serves 12.

Notes: Cake, without espresso cream, can be chilled up to 2 days. Cake can be frosted with espresso cream 4 hours ahead and chilled, loosely covered with foil.

*Available at most supermarkets and The Baker's Catalogue (800-827-6836). Or you could do what I do and ask your local Starbucks for a tablespoon of espresso powder when picking up your morning coffee.

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