Warm Hazelnut Brown Butter Torte – Oregon

Jayne:  The newspaper headline read: “A Cake the Color of Delicious”.  Who could resist?

This wonderful dessert recipe, “Warm Hazelnut Brown Butter Torte”, comes from James Beard Award Winning chefs Gabrielle Quinonez Denton and Greg Denton, owners of Ox Restaurant in Portland.* 

Like with most families, each state has an official nut.  Hazelnuts are Oregon’s state nut and the state produces 99% of the U.S. supply.  While orchards throughout the state grow the nut, many are grown in Williamette Valley. So, in the spirit of what grows together goes together, I highly recommend a glass of Pinot Noir to go with it (or at least while you make it). 

Those of us who are asking “is it a hazelnut or filbert”?  It’s both.   The French called it filbert and the English called it hazelnut.  The Oregon Filbert Commission settled on “hazelnut” in 1981 to limit the confusion.

And the nut has nutritional and medicinal properties.  According to oregonhazelnuts.org, “… in a manuscript found in China from the year 2838 B.C., the filbert took its place among the five sacred nourishments God bestowed on human beings.”  In ancient Greece, the filbert was thought to cure baldness (I have visions of men rubbing their heads with Nutella….).    So, it’s good for you, too. 

I think you could enjoy this torte any time of year, but the Fall feels right for it.  The nuts are harvested late September/early October.  Slightly cooler temperatures, a warm cake with wine.

I served this lovely dessert with honey-sweetened crème fraiche with a bright red strawberry on the side (Oregon also grows a bunch of berries). 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups shelled hazelnuts
• 1 cup plus 1 Tbls unsalted butter
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/3 cup almond flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 5 large egg whites
• 3 Tbs granulated sugar
• Crème fraiche (or mascarpone), mixed with honey and a little salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. 
2. Spread hazelnuts over a baking tray in a single layer and roast 5 – 8 minutes.  Place warm nuts between two layers of kitchen towel and rub to remove skins.  Discard skins and set nuts aside to cool (try to get most of the skins off – they can taste bitter).
3. Add butter to a small saucepan.  Scrape seeds from vanilla bean and add to butter along with scraped bean.  Set saucepan over medium-low heat.  Cook, gently swirling pan, until butter melts then turns a deep golden brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes.  Remove vanilla bean.
4. Brush interior of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan with a bit of the butter.
5. Place hazelnuts and confectioners’ sugar in a food processor and process to form a fine powder.  Add the almond flour and salt and pulse a few times to combine.
6. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy, then add granulated sugar and beat to form stiff peaks.  Gently fold whipped egg whites into dry ingredients with a rubber spatula.  Mix in remaining brown butter until fully incorporated.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 minutes.
8. Serve cake warm with a dollop of crème fraiche or honeyed mascarpone. 

*According to the website, Ox is currently closed – I’m hoping these talented chefs find a way to share their gift with food again.  This recipe is adapted from “Around the Fire:  Recipes for Inspired Grilling and Seasonal Feasting from Ox Restaurant” by Greg and Gabrielle Denton.  The recipe was featured in the Wall Street Journal.