Chocolate & Hazelnut Reverse Dominoes

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Rich, creamy Valrhona Jivara Milk Chocolate, laced with rum, and studded with butter-roasted hazelnuts.  All this sitting on a crunchy chocolate wafer base slathered with sticky Dulce de Leche.

These Chocolate & Hazelnut Reverse Dominoes are so named, because they'll have you falling for them, not them for you.

Sprinkle with some margarita salt flakes before serving and they become absolutely phenomenal with salty-sweet chocolatey goodness. Trust me, like dominoes, your first piece will quickly be followed by another.

Don't just take my word for it. Look at those thieving fingers, stealing them from right under my nose (and camera lens).  This is NOT a posed shot, and a common occurence around here, I might add... 

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Time to put the camera away.

Recipe for Chocolate & Hazelnut Reverse Dominoes
(copyright 2010 A Spoonful of Sugah)


Ingredients:
Layer 1:
180 grams pailette feuilletine*
260 grams premium milk chocolate (e.g.Valrhona 40%)
80 grams premium dark chocolate (e.g.Valrhona 55%)
105 grams nutella or praline paste

Layer 2:
350 grams thick caramel/Dulce de Leche (see here for instructions on how to make)
80 grams premium dark chocolate (e.g.Valrhona 55%)
pinch of fleur de sel/salt

Layer 3:
250 grams heavy whipping cream (at least 35% fat)
350 grams premium milk chocolate
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tbsp rum
1 cup toasted hazelnuts (rub with butter for the last 2 minutes of toasting).

Method:
Layer 1:
Line a 13"by 13" sheet pan (with at least 1" height) with baking paper.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler (taking care not to overheat). Remove from heat. Add nutella/praline paste and mix until fully combined. Stir in pailette feuilletine.  Press mixture into an even layer on sheet pan. Chill in fridge until firm, at least 1 hour.

Layer 2:
Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler or in a microwave (taking care not to overheat).  Stir in melted chocolate, 1 tablespoon at a time, into dulce de leche. Mixing well after each spoonful. Add a pinch of fleur de sel or salt and mix well. Spread chocolate caramel paste evenly onto the chilled wafer base.  Chill in fridge until firm, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Layer 3:
Place milk chocolate chips/feves in a bowl. Heat whipping cream gently over stove, remove from heat once it starts to simmer. Pour hot cream over milk chocolate chips/feves and let stand for 1/2 minutes. Stir through until chocolate is completely melted.  Add golden syrup and rum, then stir to combine.

Pour chocolate mixture into sheet pan (over layers 1 and 2). Working quickly, press whole hazelnuts randomly into the chocolate.  Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight until chocolate bar is firm enough to cut.

Cut into squares and serve with a sprinkle of margarita or maldon sea salt flakes.

* pailette feuilletine are crushed vanilla wafers. I purchase mine in bulk (i.e. 2 kg) from Euraco Fine Food Ltd (You can contact Ms Celine Lo at 6276 5433, and mention that you were referred by A Spoonful of Sugah).  If you are not inclined to purchase so much, I've read somewhere that Chinese love letters, crushed finely, make a reasonable substitute.