Hazelnut Soufflé

Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Toast for 15 minutes at 160°C (V3).
In a saucepan, bring the water and granulated sugar to 121°C.
Pour the hot sugar syrup over the still-warm hazelnuts and the used vanilla bean.
Stir until the sugar coats the nuts, then caramelize over medium heat.
Transfer to a baking sheet and let cool completely, then crush and process in a food processor or RobotCoupe to form a praline paste.

Mix all the ingredients together until the batter is smooth and uniform.
Pipe 15 g of batter into 4-cm round molds and sprinkle with crushed roasted hazelnuts.
Freeze and store properly in the freezer.

Weigh the milk and cream into a saucepan.
Gradually sprinkle in the caster sugar, Souflix, and salt, which have been mixed together beforehand.
Add the egg yolks and bring the cream to a boil while whisking vigorously.
Transfer to the refrigerator, making sure to cover the surface with plastic wrap.

Using a whisk, smooth out the soufflé base cream and fold in the hazelnut paste.
Place the egg whites and granulated sugar in the bowl of a mixer and heat to 55°C in a double boiler, whisking continuously.
Add the Souflix and whip the meringue with the mixer using a whisk attachment.
Gradually fold the meringue into the hazelnut base cream using a rubber spatula.
Transfer to a piping bag and use immediately.

Melt and temper the couverture chocolate.
Weigh out and smooth 320 g of couverture chocolate onto a 60 x 40 cm guitar sheet.
Before the chocolate crystallizes, use a cookie cutter to cut out 5 cmØ discs (TBC).
Set aside appropriately.