Marbled Hazelnut & Chocolate Halvah |
Author: Yvonne Cornell
- 2 cups hazelnuts, toasted & skinned
- 2 cups tahini (16 oz jar raw sesame seed butter, sold in the peanut butter aisle of health food stores)
- 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- pinch of salt
- a candy thermometer
- Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan or smaller with plastic wrap or oil the pan and line with parchment paper, allowing some to hang over each side of the pan.
- Melt chocolate in a small bowl in a microwave, heating in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval until evenly melted (only needs about 2-3 intervals.) Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
- You can buy roasted hazelnuts or spread raw hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel, folding the towel over the nuts and rubbing vigorously to remove skin. Don't fuss if all the skins don't rub off - they never do! Finely chop into a breadcrumb size paste using a small food processor.
- In a large bowl, combine hazelnuts, tahini, and vanilla. Stir until well mixed.
- In a small saucepan, gently heat sugar and water with a pinch of salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Once the sugar dissolves, bring the sugar water to a simmer or low boil over medium-high heat until a candy thermometer reads 240ºF (the soft-ball stage.) This may take up to 15 minutes, so keep an eye on it, stirring often.
- Slowly pour the very hot sugar syrup into the tahini-hazelnut mixture, stirring constantly until the mixture is well combined and starts to harden. Now marble in the chocolate with only a few gentle swirls being careful not to overmix or it will integrate too much with the mixture.
- Immediately transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, smooth the surface and press down with the back of a spoon.
- Cover with plastic wrap or fold edges over to seal.
- Let the halvah cool in refrigerator before flipping over and out of pan onto a cutting board to slice and serve.
- For the best break-apart consistency, refrigerate for a full two days, but feel free to enjoy sooner.
- It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Recipe by Yvonne Cornell at https://yvonnecornellphoto.com/2015/03/18/marbled-halvah-babylon-dreams/
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