Hazelnut Crunch Basket

To prepare the hazelnut crunch basket with diplomat cream, start by preparing the base for the filling. Place the milk in a saucepan and add the vanilla pulp extracted from the pod and the whole pod 1. While the milk is heating, soak the gelatin and set it aside. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl 2, whisk by hand, and gradually incorporate the starch 3.

When the milk is hot, remove the vanilla pod 4 and mix a couple of ladles into the egg yolk and sugar mixture 5. Then pour everything back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and let it thicken gently, stirring the cream continuously 6.

Drain and squeeze out the soaked gelatin 7 and add it to the cream while it is cooking, stirring carefully to dissolve it 8. Transfer the hot custard to a wide, shallow dish, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it cool completely at room temperature 9: this will take about two hours.

In the meantime, focus on the crunch baskets. In another non-stick saucepan, put the water and sugar, then gently bring it to a temperature of 329°F (165°C) using a kitchen thermometer 10. If you don't have a thermometer, turn off the heat as soon as the sugar turns a blonde color 11. At this point, add the chopped hazelnuts to the caramel 12

and mix with a wooden spoon, cooking for another 2-3 minutes 13. Immediately transfer the hot crunch onto a silicone mat or a sheet of parchment paper 14, spread it out as much as possible with a spatula 15, and wait at least 10 minutes for it to cool completely.

To create the baskets, roughly break the cold crunch and put the pieces in a food processor 16: activate the blades and chop it very finely. Now place a 6-inch (15 cm) diameter pastry ring on the silicone mat or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and fill it with about 1.6 oz (45 g) of crunch powder 17. After carefully removing the pastry ring, further compact the base with the back of a teaspoon 18. Bake for 3-4 minutes in a preheated static oven at 356°F (180°C) (if using a fan oven, bake at 320°F (160°C) for about 2 minutes).

Once baking is finished, let the crunch cool slightly and then detach it from the silicone mat or parchment paper very carefully 19. Transfer the crunch onto an inverted aluminum cup 20, pressing it as much as possible to its edges to give it the desired shape 21. Let the basket cool on the cup.

Now you can finish the filling. Place the fresh cream in a mixer bowl and whip it until stiff 22: add it to the completely cool custard and mix gently, stirring from bottom to top to avoid deflating the cream 23. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle with the diplomat cream 24, then place it in the refrigerator.

The last ingredient you need is chocolate. Chop it with a knife blade 25. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler: transfer the chopped chocolate to a bowl placed over a slightly larger pot filled with a bit of water, ensuring the water does not touch the bowl. Turn on the heat and let the chocolate melt completely 26. Take the crunch basket, which in the meantime has solidified and become crunchy again, and brush its inside with the still-warm melted chocolate 27.

It's time to fill the basket: take the piping bag with diplomat cream out of the refrigerator and fill the basket 28. Decorate with berries 29, chocolate chips, and finally a mint leaf 30. Your hazelnut crunch basket is ready to amaze your guests.