Swiss Japonais Recipe

2

Ingredients

MERINGUE
2 ounces unblanched almonds, finely ground
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup (5 large) egg whites, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup sugar
PRALINE
1/2 cup sugar
1 ounce whole blanched almonds, roasted
1 ounce whole hazelnuts, roasted and most skins removed
PRALINE BUTTERCREAM
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 recipe Praline Powder

Preparation

Step 1

1. Adjust one rack to the lower third of the oven and a second rack to the upper third; preheat the oven to 225°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Trace 1 1/2-diameter circles on the parchment with a pencil, using a cookie cutter as a guide; cover both sheets with circles, spacing the circles about 1/4-inch apart. Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain decorating tip (such as Ateco #6).

2. Japonaise Meringue: In a small bowl, blend the ground nuts and the 1/4 cup sugar briefly with a wire whisk; set aside. Using an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on low speed for 30 seconds, or until the surface is frothy. Increase the speed to medium, pour in the two tablespoons sugar, and continue whipping until soft peaks form, about 45 seconds.

3. Maintaining medium speed, add the 2/3 cup sugar in a steady stream. Continue whipping until a small amount rubbed between your thumb and finger feels smooth, not granular, about 2 minutes. Tap the whisk against the side of the bowl. Sprinkle the almond-sugar mixture over the meringue and, using a rubber spatula, fold the two together.

4. Scoop all the mixture into a pastry bag. Pipe spirals to fit the traced circles on the parchment. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the spiral disks are light colored and dry. As they cool, they will crisp. Remove one meringue from the oven as a sample to test if the drying time in the oven is enough. Place the baking sheets on a wire rack to cool. Gently remove the meringues from the parchment.

5. Praline: Lightly grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil. Place the sugar in a 1 1/2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan or a 10-inch skillet. Place over low heat until the sugar dissolves, swirl to distribute the heat evenly. When the sugar has dissolved, raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the melted sugar reaches an amber color, about 8 to 10 minutes. Pour in the nuts, remove from the heat and swirl; then pour out onto the baking sheet. Set aside to cool and firm for about 1 hour.

6. Crumble enough of the meringue disks to make 1 1/2 cups of fine crumbs. You can grind them in a nut mill or chop with a chef's knife on a cutting board. Put the crumbs on a plate.

7. Match the remaining disks to make pairs: The base of the bottom disk is the flat baked surface, while the disk on top has its flat baked side up. Gently rub the curved sides of each pair together to ensure a more even, level fit. Place each matched pair on a baking sheet.

8. Praline Buttercream: In the large bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg yolks until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. Combine the
water and sugar in a 1-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally, washing down any crystals clinging to the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in cold water, until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat and cook the syrup, without stirring, until it reaches 238°F. on a candy thermometer. Pour into the center of the yolks and quickly whisk vigorously to combine. Return the bowl to the mixer and whip at medium speed until the egg yolk mixture thickens and cools to body temperature, about 5 minutes. Maintaining speed, add the butter to the cooled mixture, 2 tablespoons at a time. Continue mixing until all the butter has been incorporated and the buttercream is smooth and homogeneous.

9. Praline Powder: Break the cool, firm praline into small pieces and place them in a food processor bowl. Process until the praline has the consistency of fine crumbs. Pour the crumbs through a sieve to strain out any larger lumps. Stir 1/2 cup of the praline powder into the buttercream and store the remaining powder in an airtight container at room temperature for another use.

10. Using a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain decorating tip (such as Ateco #2), pipe a scant teaspoon of the buttercream, spiral fashion on top of each bottom disk. Fit the top disk on the buttercream and press it gently to level. Then refrigerate the sandwiched disks for about 30 to 60 minutes, just to firm the buttercream to facilitate handling when you frost them. Set the filled pastry bag aside at room temperature.

11. To frost the Japonaise, stack them on top of one another, and pipe three or four rows of buttercream around the outside of the two sandwiched pastries. Using a small flexible icing spatula, smooth the buttercream around them in a thin layer. Then roll them in the meringue crumbs, wheel fashion. Put them back on the baking sheet.

12. Any excess buttercream left on the spatula after smoothing the sides of the Japonaise may be used to refill the pastry bag as necessary. After frosting and coating the pastries, return the baking sheet to the refrigerator to firm the buttercream, about 30 minutes.

13. The decorated Japonaise are best served the next day; or freeze, well-wrapped in an airtight plastic container.