Argentin: a Hazelnut and Almond Chocolate Gateau.
My minimum quantity is set below, but it is for much more than 4 people! More like
ten; but it can be kept for ages in the freezer and can even be eaten straight from
it should you wish.
For the cake...
200g. of hazelnuts and 200g. almonds grilled in the oven.
150g. of sugar.
150 g. icing sugar.
6 eggs separated (not a single trace of yolk in the white, please!)
Roughly pulverise the nuts to a coarse breadcrumb; mix with icing sugar. Put the
six whites in an immaculately clean mixer bowl with a drop of white vinegar and a
pinch of bicarbonate of soda, start beating to a soft peak, stop, add the 150g. of
sugar, and beat until stiff but soft. Do not get to granulated stage! Make sure your
grilled nuts and icing sugar are cold and lightly but thoroughly mixed into the whites
of egg. Under no circumstance must the mixture collapse.
Line an oblong baking tin with baking paper, butter it, sprinkle very little sugar
and evenly spoon the mixture in. Bake in an oven at 180°C until golden on top and
the cake leaves the sides of the tray. Cool a little and turn upside down on to a
flat tray lined with baking paper. Remove the baking paper on top of the cake (as
you turned it upside down) cool again and cut in half lengthways.
The chocolate cream...
The 6 yolks of egg.
200g. of chocolate (best quality dark).
150 g. of unsalted butter.
Break the chocolate and the butter into small pieces. Beat the egg yolks over a bain-marie
by hand until you cannot put your finger in them; add the chocolate immediately,
melting it whilst beating vigorously and then start adding the butter, beating all
the time over a small flame, over hot water. When everything is smooth, take off
the flame, never ever bringing it to the boil. You can only do this without a bain-marie,
if you have a very thick bottomed pan whilst watching very very carefully and on
a very small flame.
When the chocolate cream is cold-ish and manageable, coat one half of the cake, place
the other half on top, then coat the rest of the cake ; decorate the top with a criss-cross
of lines with a fork. You can add some liqueur, (a dash) to the chocolate cream whilst
you are cooking it, and you could also add a dash of alcohol (brandy, kirsch or other
liqueur) to the whites of egg while you are beating with the sugar.
