The Catalan TableIngredients
Servings:
4
Ingredients
- 1 barraFor the nougat coating
- 130 g70% chocolate
Praline for the Filling
- 250 g70% chocolate
- 50 graw (or toasted) marcona almond
- 50 gpowdered sugar
- 20 mlsunflower oil
- 30 Wafers
- 1 beinavanilla
- 1 Grated nutmeg
- 2 Ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- Necessary utensils
- 1 kitchen thermometer
- 1 Mold of 20x10x2.5 cm
Nutritional Information
Per Serving (Approx.)
Calories
1026 kcal
Protein
18 g
Fat
52 g
Carbohydrates
113 g
Disclaimer: These values are estimates based on ingredient types and may not be precise.
Step-by-step Guide
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and lightly grease a baking tray.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder and salt, ensuring the ingredients are well integrated.
- Add the room temperature butter and sugar to the bowl, beating them with an electric mixer until you get a smooth and fluffy mixture, about 5 minutes.
- Incorporate the eggs, one at a time, fully integrating each before adding the next.
- Add the milk and vanilla essence to the mixture, gently mixing until well combined with the other ingredients.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray, ensuring it is distributed evenly.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the tray for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare the Turrón Lining
- Melt the chocolate using a double boiler, ensuring it does not exceed 40 °C. Note: You can also melt it in the microwave at full power for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds to ensure even melting.
- Transfer the chocolate to a glass bowl and stir constantly until the temperature drops to 31 °C. Note: If you wish to speed up this process, you can temper it on a marble surface, but the process works well if done inside the glass bowl.
- Fill the mold with chocolate and gently tap it on the marble several times to eliminate air bubbles.
- Immediately, turn the mold upside down to empty it, ensuring that the excess chocolate is collected in the saucepan (we will need some of it to seal the base later).
- Clean the edges of the mold with a spatula and let it drain completely upside down on a rack for a few minutes.
- When the chocolate has hardened, you will have a well-formed shell or casing for the nougat.
- Once it has fully hardened, finish by carefully cleaning the edges with a spatula to achieve a clean finish.
Preparing the Spices
- Using a sharp knife, cut the vanilla pod lengthwise in half. With the back of the knife, gently scrape the pulp from the inside of each half.
- In a small bowl, mix the vanilla pulp with half a grated nutmeg. Add two cloves, finely ground in a mortar beforehand, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Mix all ingredients until well combined. Set the blend aside at room temperature, away from direct light, while preparing the other ingredients.
Praline Preparation
- Place the almonds, powdered sugar, and sunflower oil into the food processor bowl. Blend at maximum speed for 5-7 minutes until a greasy, creamy yet consistent paste is obtained. Occasionally, stop the processor and use a spatula to scrape the mixture from the sides of the bowl towards the center.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Set aside for later use.
- Melt the chocolate using a double boiler along with the spice mixture, keeping the temperature below 40 ºC. There is no need to temper the chocolate since it will be used as a filling.
- Pour the melted chocolate into the bowl with the mixture while stirring continuously with a spatula until all the ingredients are well integrated and we achieve a homogeneous texture for the praline.
- Gently incorporate half of the crumbled wafers, stirring softly until they are well combined with the mixture.
Filling the Mold
- Fill the mold halfway with the filling, ensuring it's evenly distributed across the entire surface.
- Place the other half of the crumbled wafers directly over the filling, pressing lightly to ensure they are well integrated.
- Pour the remaining filling until it almost reaches the top of the mold, leaving approximately one centimeter of space for the topping.
- Allow the mold to rest in a cool place for at least 30 minutes, or until the filling is well set before sealing it.
Finish Buttoning the Shirt
- Prepare some chocolate in the same way as we did for lining the mold. Note: If there is any leftover from when we lined the mold, melt it again in a double boiler until it is completely liquid and homogeneous.
- Wait for the chocolate to reach a temperature of 30 ºC, using a kitchen thermometer to ensure it is at the right point for use.
- Pour the chocolate over the already hardened coating and smooth it out with a spatula to distribute it evenly.
- Let the chocolate rest until the next day before unmolding it, to ensure it has completely solidified and easily releases from the mold.
- The result can be stored wrapped in parchment paper for better preservation, preventing it from absorbing moisture or odors.
Recommendations & Tricks
- Melt the chocolate using a double boiler, ensuring that the water does not touch the container with the chocolate and stirring constantly to prevent it from exceeding 40ºC. If you use a microwave, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat at full power in 30-second intervals, stirring each time to prevent it from burning.
- Once melted, pour the chocolate into a glass bowl and stir continuously with a silicone spatula until the temperature drops to 31ºC. To speed up the process, you can temper the chocolate on a marble countertop, spreading it with a spatula and collecting it several times.
- Fill the mold one-third full with the melted chocolate and gently tap it on the work surface to remove air bubbles, ensuring the entire surface of the mold is covered evenly.
- Quickly turn the mold upside down to drain off excess chocolate into the reserved pot, as you will need some to seal the base later.
- Using a small spatula, carefully clean the edges of the mold to ensure they are tidy and free of excess chocolate, and let the mold finish draining by placing it upside down on a rack.
- Allow the hardened chocolate to set completely until it reaches a firm consistency, at which point the chocolate shell or casing will be ready to fill.
- Finally, once the chocolate is fully set, use a spatula to ensure the edges are clean and well-defined, removing any excess that may remain.