Originating in the south of France, dacquoise is a meringue made with very finely chopped nuts folded into the mixture before baking.
This dessert is named after the residents of Dax, a town in southwestern France, and is also occasionally referred to as Palois in reference to the residents of Pau, a neighboring town.
The nutty meringue is piped or spread into shapes (often round discs) and baked until crisp in a low temperature oven.
The dacquoise discs are then often layered with buttercream, sweetened whipped cream or ice cream to create a complete cake.
A popular version is the classic French marjolaine - long, rectangular layers of almond or hazelnut dacquoise interspersed with chocolate or praline buttercream.
While cakes featuring dacquoise may have their own names, they can also be referred to as dacquoise. The term dacquoise can be used to describe a myriad of desserts. Technically dacqoise is the meringue-like layer employed in cake creations but, over the years it has become common to refer to not just the layer but the entire cake as “dacquoise”, giving the term an expanded meaning.
The recipe I'm presenting today is from the fantastic book "Bake Off - Crème de la Crème" by Martin Chiffers & Emma Marsden.
The Dacquoise discs are filled with a layer of chocolate crémeux and dollops of an homemade, mixed berry compote, will give it the necessary sharpness to cut through the richness of the chocolate.
It's a very rich and indulgent dessert and perfect for chocolate lovers!
