Chestnut almond torte
4 Egg yolks
3/4 c Sugar
2 1/4 c Heaping cups (roughly 1/2lb
-unshelled chestnuts, peeled
-and put through food mill)
2 tb Dark rum
1 c Whole, shelled almonds,
-blanched, peeled, and
-put through food mill
5 Egg whites
Unsalted butter
flour
--------------------------chocolate WHIPPED CREAM--------------------------
3 oz Semisweet chocolate
1 c Heavy cream, whipped
-------------------------------APRICOT GLAZE-------------------------------
3 tb Apricot jam
1 tb Dark rum
------------------------------chocolate ICING------------------------------
4 oz Semisweet chocolate
6 tb Unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
Beat yolks and sugar until very light and fluffy. This will take
several minutes even with an electric beater. The end product should
have an off-white color.
Add chestnuts and run to yolk-sugar mixture. Blend together and add
half the almonds.
Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into mixture. Next, fold in
rest of almonds and pour mixture into a buttered, floured, 10x2.5
inch spring mold.
Place filled mold in oven. After 10 minutes, reduce heat to 325 deg F
and bake for 35 to 50 minutes more, until cake has pulled away
slightly from sides of mold.
Remove from oven, let cool, unmold, and cut into two layers of equal
thickness, leaving spring mold bottom attached to bottom of 1 layer.
Apply chocolate whipped cream to top of bottom layer and arrange the
other layer on top of that.
Several hours before serving, glaze top of top layer with hot apricot
glaze.
When glaze has set, prepare icing. Balance cake in one hand, with hand
under spring mold bottom, and dribble icing over top of cake. Tilt
cake back and forth to coat evenly. Put cake on a rack and finish
icing sides with a table knife or spatula.
Refrigerate until icing sets.
chocolate WHIPPED CREAM FILLING:
Place chocolate and 3 tb water in a small pan, over low flame. Stir until
chocolate melts into water and mixture is smooth. Start with 3 tb water
and add more if necessary for smooth texture.
Cool, but do not refrigerate. Combine with whipped cream.
APRICOT GLAZE:
Heat jam until it thickens slightly.
Add rum off heat and apply immediately to cake.
chocolate ICING:
Soften chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water.
Add butter to chocolate. When butter melts, stir it into chocolate until
mixture is smooth and all lumps have disappeared. If icing is too thick
to pour, add more butter. If it is too loose, add a small amount of
chocolate. It should coat the spoon heavily and drip slowly off.
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