There is some seriously tough competition.
After receiving hundreds of amazing and delicious entries from some extremely talented home cooks, and after deliberating for many hours, we managed to narrow the list down to the five. And now? It’s time to vote.
So let’s meet our finalists…
Karen McFarlane.
I grew up on a farm in Victoria where my next door neighbour was a ten minute bike ride away. It was a very serene place to grow up.
As an adult, I appreciate how lucky I was to have such an upbringing where we grew our vegetables, collected fresh eggs and picked apples to bake in pies on the weekend. My Mum is an amazing baker and I have the fondest memories of helping her to bake our family favourites most Sunday afternoons, just as the sun started dipping below the front veranda. Mum is the best kind of entertainer.
When her friends pop over for a cuppa, there is always something sweet and homemade to have with it; a lamington or almond biscuit perhaps. When we stop by with our own kids now, Mum loves to cook the food from our childhood. It’s comforting and reassuringly good. To me, entertaining is just that, making people feel welcome in your home and generously feeding them with comfort food. It’s with that thought in mind that I came up with these Chocolate and Nutella tartlets. They are, without a doubt, the kind of comfort food I serve when entertaining our family and friends.
They really are a cinch to prepare, yet they look like they have been on display in a French Patisserie shop-front. The chocolate and Nutella filling is so heavenly that even the kids will love it. The very mention of Nutella brings a smile to the face of most people I know, so just wait ‘til they devour these babies.
Chocolate and Hazelnut tartlets with praline.
Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by PAMPAS Pastry. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.
Ingredients
Makes: 12
What you’ll need:
- 1 x 12 pack PAMPAS sweet tart cases, frozen
- Double cream to serve
- Extra unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
Chocolate ganache
- 150 grams milk chocolate
- ¼ cup thickened cream
- (Serving suggestion: try add 1/4 cup Nutella to your ganache for an extra hint of hazelnut.)
Hazelnut praline
- ¼ cup (50 grams) hazelnuts
- 1 cup castor sugar
- ½ cup water
- Pinch sea salt flakes
Method
Step one.
Preheat your oven to 180°C.
Step two.
Place frozen tart cases on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 12 minutes or until lightly browned and the pastry cases are dry and cooked through. Remove from the oven and cool, then remove from foil packaging.
Step three.
For the praline, while the oven is hot, roast the hazelnuts on a tray until lightly browned (about 8 minutes).
Step four.
Remove and place the nuts in a clean tea towel and rub to remove their skins, then set the nuts aside to cool and discard the skins.
Step five.
Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan over a medium heat and allow the sugar to dissolve. Without stirring the syrup, turn the heat to high and allow it to bubble until it turns a golden caramel colour, pushing down any sugar crystals that form on the saucepan with a wet pastry brush.
Step six.
Quickly but carefully, add the hazelnuts to the caramel then pour the mixture onto a lightly oiled baking tray. (Note: If the baking tray is warm it helps the caramel to spread and become thinner.)
Step seven.
Wait a minute before sprinkling the sea salt over the praline, to ensure the salt doesn’t melt. Set the praline aside to cool completely, then break it up into small pieces.
Chocolate Ganache:
Step one.
Melt the chocolate with the cream over a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second bursts until smooth.
Step two.
Spoon one tablespoon of the ganache into each of the tart shells. (Serving suggestion: try add 1/4 cup Nutella to your ganache for an extra hint of Hazelnuts.)
Step three.
Refrigerate for about 15 minutes until the ganache is set. Finish the tartlets by sprinkling with some of the hazelnut praline, then top with a dollop of double cream and a dusting of cocoa powder.
NB: This batch of praline will be enough to cover double the number of tartlets or you can store the remainder in an airtight container in the fridge for the next lucky guests.
If you'd like to vote for Karen to be iVillage's new Food Blogger, you can vote by clicking HERE.
To see the delicious process in full, click through the gallery.
Whether you’re still finding your feet in the kitchen or you’re a self-confessed master chef, PAMPAS’ range of pre-rolled pastry sheets and shells are your blank canvas to create. Be it the humble family pie or pastry wrapped asparagus sticks for entertaining, PAMPAS provides you an easy way to create something new or simply make something that little bit better; so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying delicious meals with those you love.