Rice Paper Rolls with Chocolate and Hazelnut

La storia di questo piatto

This is a modern fusion invention, a quiet dialogue between the translucent softness of Eastern rice paper and the dark, comforting warmth of a European chocolate-and-hazelnut heart. No ancient recipe, no borrowed legend: just a new gesture born at the meeting point of two sweet traditions.

Ingredienti

• 12 sheets Rice paper sheets
• 100 g Dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 60 g Hazelnut spread
• 300 ml Lukewarm water (to soften, to be renewed during preparation)
• 20 g Icing sugar (for dusting)

Preparazione

1. Finely chop the dark chocolate (100 g) into very thin shavings with a well-sharpened knife. Mix it in a bowl with the hazelnut spread (60 g) until you obtain a smooth, dense mixture that can be worked like a soft paste. Divide it into 12 small balls of about 13 g each (8 g of chocolate and 5 g of spread): these will be the portion for each roll. Keep them ready beside the work surface.
2. Fill a wide bowl with the 300 ml of lukewarm water: it should feel barely warm when you touch it with your finger, never hot. Dip one sheet of rice paper at a time for only 3-4 seconds and take it out when you feel it yield under your fingers but still hold some character. Don't wait for it to become completely soft: it will continue to soften on the surface as you work, and if left too long in the water it will tear as soon as you try to fold it.
3. Place the wet sheet on a clean, smooth, slightly damp surface (wipe it with a just-dampened cloth) so it doesn't stick. Slightly below the centre, place one ball of filling (about 13 g) and gently flatten it into a small cylinder. This amount is for a single roll: repeat for all 12 sheets. Resist the temptation to overfill: too generous a filling pushes at the folds and the parcel opens just when you least want it to.
4. Fold the bottom part of the sheet over the filling, then close the two sides toward the centre, as if sealing an envelope. Roll upward, keeping it tight, all the way to the top, like a spring roll. Press with your fingertips at each step: the wet sheet is naturally sticky and this helps it close well. The roll is ready when you turn it over and it stays compact, with no gaps.
5. Continue in the same way with the remaining sheets, one at a time, until you have 12 rolls in total (3 per person). Place each roll on a tray lined with baking paper, keeping them spaced apart because when touching they stick together and tear. If the water in the bowl has become cloudy or cooled, replace it with fresh lukewarm water.
6. Heat a dry non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Cook the rolls, a few at a time, for 30-40 seconds per side, until the sheet becomes opaque and the filling inside softens and melts. Transfer them to kitchen paper and gently pat to remove residual moisture: this is essential, because icing sugar on a damp surface would dissolve immediately.
7. Arrange the still-warm rolls on a serving plate and dust them with the 20 g of icing sugar passed through a sieve held slightly high, so it falls evenly. Serve immediately, while the chocolate and hazelnut heart is still soft and melting. Optional: if you want to prepare them in advance, store them unsugared, covered with cling film in direct contact in the refrigerator (up to 1 hour, resting time not included in the preparation time), then warm them 30 seconds per side in a dry non-stick pan and dust only at the moment of serving.