Dacquoise

My introduction to dacquiose was on the last day of The Chopping Block‘s Boot Camp 2. Dacquoise is essentially French meringue (egg whites and sugar, with a bit of cream of tartar) to which a nut flour (traditionally ground toasted haselnuts) is added, and is usually used to create layered desserts with mousses, pastry cream, berries, and the like. I’ve made it with hazelnuts, but have also had great success with a flour made from toasted oats.

Here’s how to do it. I’ll but some notes about the nut flours at the end.

INGREDIENTS

4 egg whites, at room temperature (don’t use store-bought egg whites, as they won’t perform as you want them to)
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp of sugar, divided
1/2 cup nut flour

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 300°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Trace whatever shape you want on the parchment paper, turning it over so that the graphite is on the underside.
Beat the egg whites and the 2 tbsp sugar in a large bowl until foamy, and the yellowness of the egg whites has faded.
Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until the whites are stiff and glossy.
Gently fold the nut flour into the egg whites in two additions.
Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a large, plain tip, and pipe the batter into your traced shapes, starting at the edges and working your way in.
Bake until golden brown, 35-40 minutes.
Turn the oven off and leave the dacquiose in the oven to cool. You can take them out after about an hour, as you want them to come to room temperature before using them to assemble whatever it is you’re using them for.