Chestnut Cream Tiramisu with Almond Nougat
Chestnut cream was invented in 1885 in the first candied chestnut factory founded by master confectioner Clément Faugier, in the small village of Privas, France. It was a way to avoid wasting broken candied chestnut by turning them into a delicious sweet spread, flavoured with vanilla, which the French would commonly eat with bread for breakfast. Nowadays, chestnut cream is often used to prepare desserts or even served with savoury dishes.
Preparation - 30 min. et 5 h au frigo
Ingredients
Serves 4 to 6
For the tiramisu
- 250 g (9 oz) Italian mascarpone at room temperature
- 3 eggs
- 210 g (1 jar) Perrotta chestnut cream
- 10 graham crackers, crumbled
For the nougat
- 100 g (3 1/2 oz) sliced almonds
- 200 g (7 oz) sugar
- 100 ml (1/2 cup) water
Preparation
- Separate egg yolks and whites and set aside.
- In a bowl, vigorously whip the egg yolks and sugar with a whisk or an electric beater.
- Add mascarpone and mix well. In another bowl, whip egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
- Delicately add half the egg whites to the mascarpone blend, and the other half to the chestnut cream.
- Spoon a small amount of graham cracker crumbs at the bottom of a Mason jar or a glass, then fill with 1/3 mascarpone blend.
- Add a layer of chestnut cream, then top with more mascarpone.
- Since the chestnut cream is very sweet, the creamy cheese flavour will balance the taste.
- Refrigerate for at least 5 hours before serving.
For the nougat
- In a saucepan, mix water and sugar and cook over low heat until golden caramel form (take care to avoid distractions, as caramel can burn very quickly).
- Add almonds and remove from heat.
- Spread between two sheets of waxed paper on a baking sheet and press down with a rolling pin to flatten into a fine layer (about 5 mm or 0.2 in).
- Leave to cool completely.
- Once nougat has hardened, delicately remove paper and break into pieces.
- Decorate tiramisu with a few pieces of nougat just before serving.