Christmas has arrived and I hardly noticed. This year I teamed up with Valsa Home to prepare a ladyfingers and walnut pavé.
Valsa Home is a brand that originated in Portugal, with a Brazilian soul. That’s why we decided to make a pavé, a Brazilian dessert. But to this one, we added an extra touch, with a mousseline cream flavored with walnut praliné and ladyfingers, because we can make everything taste even more especial.
The ingredients you need for the Ladyfingers Walnut Pavé are:
- Refined sugar
- Milk
- Butter
- Eggs
- Cornstarch
- Walnuts
- Laydifingers
- Walnut
The Walnut Praliné
I think praliné is one of the most delicious things in pastry. It’s a paste made with caramelized nuts and can be used to flavor many preparations.
To make it, just simply caramelize sugar in a pan, and once the sugar is in a medium caramel color, add the nuts, coat them with the caramel, and turn off the heat. Then just pour it onto parchment paper or a silicone mat and wait for it to cool.
Once it’s cool, break it into smaller pieces — I always use a knife to help because it makes it much easier— and process it in a food processor or blender until it becomes a paste.
This process takes about 10 minutes, because the praliné needs to warm up as it blends/processes and starts releasing its oils naturally.
After that, it will turn into a delicious paste with a fantastic flavor from the chosen nut (try hazelnuts too, they are my favorites).
The Mousseline Cream
The mousseline cream is nothing more than a pastry cream with added butter, but in this case, it will be flavored with praliné.
To make the pastry cream, follow the traditional method: heat the milk in a pan until small bubbles form on the sides, no need to boil, and you can also add a little vanilla for extra flavor.
While the milk heats, combine sugar and egg yolks in a bowl and whisk with a whisk or mixer until this mixture lightens (the term for this process is “blanchir”). Then add the cornstarch and mix once again.
Keep whisking with one hand and with the other, start pouring the heated milk in a thin stream over the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch mixture. This process will raise the temperature of the mixture without cooking the yolks and turning it into an omelet (the term for this process is “tempering”).
After everything is mixed, return it to the pan and cook while stirring constantly. When it starts to boil, cook for at least another 5 more minutes and turn off the heat.
Pour the cream into a dish, cover it with plastic wrap in contact, and wait for it to reach room temperature.
When it’s at room temperature, transfer it to a bowl and beat it with a mixer at medium speed, gradually adding room temperature butter until it’s well mixed.
Then add the walnut praliné, chopped walnuts, and it’s ready to assemble the dessert.
Assembling the Ladyfingers Walnut Pavé:
If you want to unmold the pavé, start by lining the serving dish with parchment paper.
Then make the first layer of biscuits and cover it with half of the cream. Make another layer and cover it with the remaining cream.
Add some more chopped walnuts on top for decoration and refrigerate.
To unmold, pull the parchment paper from the sides and place it on the countertop. Using two spatulas, lift the dessert, separating it from the parchment paper (it needs to be very cold), and place it on the serving plate.
If you don’t plan to unmold, simply take the dessert to the table directly in the dish you assembled it in.
The table
To make this moment with family even more special, whether it’s Christmas or any other event, pay attention to setting up a beautiful table. Being careful with these details will make these moments unique and everlasting in memory.
For my table, I used hand-painted plates from Valsa Home, which creates an amazing decor on their own.
It’s also worth choosing beautiful cutlery, glasses, and using plants and candles in the decoration.
You can check out Valsa by clicking here: Visit the Valsa Home website. The store specializes in tableware, and everything is crafted in an artisanal and unique way. A true art for the table.
I hope you like it. Remember to tag me on Instagram @casacaroba when you make it.
Print
Ladyfingers Walnut Pavé
Ingredients
Walnut Praliné
- 60 g walnuts
- 90 g refined sugar
Mousseline Cream
- 250 ml whole milk
- 30 g refined sugar
- 2 units egg yolks
- 20 g cornstarch
- 100 g unsalted butter, softened
- 80 g chopped walnuts
Assembly
- 200 g champagne biscuits
- 50 g chopped and/or whole walnuts for decoration
Instructions
Walnut Praliné
- In a saucepan, place the sugar and caramelize it over medium/low heat until it reaches a light/medium caramel color.
- Add the walnuts, coat them with the caramel, and turn off the heat.
- Pour the mixture onto parchment paper or a silicone mat and let it cool.
- Break it into pieces or cut it with a knife, then transfer it to a food processor or blender.
- Blend until it forms a paste. This will take about 10 minutes.
- Set aside.
Mousseline Cream
- Place the milk in a saucepan over medium heat and warm it until small bubbles form on the sides. It’s not necessary to bring it to a boil.
- In a bowl, whisk the sugar with the egg yolks until it forms a light cream.
- Add the cornstarch and mix.
- Using a whisk in one hand and the saucepan with milk in the other, start pouring the milk in a thin stream over the egg mixture, stirring constantly with the whisk to raise the temperature of the egg mixture without cooking it.
- Return everything to the saucepan and cook the cream. When it starts to boil, cook for an additional 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
- Place the cream in a baking dish and cover it with plastic wrap. Allow it to reach room temperature.
- Once at room temperature, transfer the cream to a bowl and beat it. At medium speed, gradually add softened butter until everything is well mixed.
- Add the walnut praliné and chopped walnuts.
Assembly
- If you plan to unmold the dessert, start by lining a baking dish with parchment paper. If you don’t want to unmold, choose a beautiful dish to assemble, which will go directly to the serving table.
- Place the first layer of champagne biscuits, cover it with half of the cream. Add another layer of biscuits and cover it with the remaining cream.
- Use chopped and/or whole walnuts for decoration.
- Refrigerate and serve well chilled.
- If you’re unmolding, grab the parchment paper by the sides, place it on the counter, and with the help of two spatulas, lift the dessert, “peeling” it off the parchment paper, and place it on the serving platter.
- Enjoy!
