Ingredients

Step by step

1. For the hazelnut praline, preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Spread the nuts out on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes until richly golden. Tip onto a baking tray lined with baking paper; cool.
2. Put the sugar and 4 tablespoons of cold water into a small, heavy-based pan. Leave over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved then increase the heat and cook without stirring for about 5 minutes, until the mixture turns into a rich golden brown caramel. Pour the caramel evenly over the nuts and leave to go cold. Break into pieces and pulse in a food processor until finely ground. Store in an airtight container.
3. For the marquise, line a 20cm shallow, square, loose-bottomed tin or brownie pan with baking paper. Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl, add the whisky liqueur and rest it over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Stir now and then until the chocolate has melted, then remove the bowl from the pan and leave to cool slightly. Don't worry if it separates slightly due to the alcohol content, it will become smooth again when mixed with the rest of the filling.
   Tip

   If you want to make spun sugar decorations, let the caramel cool a little bit longer, then whip the fork back and forth across an oiled rolling pin to give very thin strands. Quickly shape into a loose ball for each serving.
4. Cream the butter and half the icing sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy; beat in the egg yolks. Beat in the cooled melted chocolate to form a smooth, glossy mixture.
5. Put the egg whites into a spotlessly clean bowl and whisk on high speed until they form soft peaks. Whisk in the rest of the icing sugar to form slightly stiffer peaks. Whip the cream into soft peaks. Gently fold the cream into the chocolate mixture, followed by the whisked egg whites, and finally half the praline. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and spread out evenly. Cover with clingfilm and chill, preferably overnight, until firm.
6. For the caramel stars, put the caster sugar in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons water. Heat gently, without stirring, until the sugar has dissolved – you can shake the pan to encourage it to dissolve evenly. Increase the heat and cook until the sugar syrup has turned to a rich golden brown caramel. Take the pan off the heat and let the caramel cool to the point when it forms a strand if you dip a fork in and lift it out. Lay a large sheet of baking paper on the work surface and use the fork to drizzle star shapes. Leave to set. Transport the marquise in its tin, with an ice pack to keep it cool. Transport the caramel stars in an airtight container, separated between layers of baking paper. Take the rest of the praline in its container, and cream to serve.
7. When ready to serve, remove the marquise from the tin and turn onto a flat serving plate. Peel away the paper and sprinkle the rest of the praline over the top. Decorate with caramel stars. Serve cut into squares.