6 Eggs, separated, plus 2 egg
– yolks
1 1/2 c Sugar, plus 1/3 cup
4 tb Bourbon, plus 2 teaspoons
2 1/2 c Pureed unsweetend chestnuts
3/4 c Ground pecans, plus pecan
– peices for garnish
2 ts Instant coffee
6 tb Chilled buter, cut into
-small pieces
1 1/2 oz Bitter chocolate, chopped
3/4 lb Bittersweet chocolate
3 1/2 c Whipping cream
1/2 c Confectioners’ sugar
1. Make the cake: heat ove to 350.degrees. Grease and flour 2
nine-inch cake pans. Beat 6 egg yolks well. Stir in 1 1/2 cups sugar
and 1 1/2 teaspoons bourbon, then blend in 2 cups chestnut puree.
Stir in ground pecans. Whip egg whites with a pinch of salt until
stiff. Fold whites inot batter. Divide mixture between the two cake
pans and bake for 25 minutes. Cool on a cake rack, then remove from
the pans.
2. Make the filling: Beat the 2 egg yolks with 1/2 cup of sugar. Add
instant coffee and 1 T hot water. Beat Chilled butter into mixture,
then add 1/2 teaspoon bourbon and stir in remaining 1/2 cup chestnut
puree. Stir in chopped bitter chocoalte. Cover bowl withplastic wrap
and refirgerate.
3. Melt bittersweet chocoalte with heavy cream over low heat. Stir
in 2 tablespoon bourbon, transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap
and refirgerate.
4. To assembel cake, sperad the chilled chestnut filling atop one
cake layer and cover with the other. Cover the torte with the
chocolate icing and sprinklw with chopped pecan peices. Chill before
serving. MEanwhile, prepare a bourbon chantilly to pass at the table.
Whip the 2 cups of cream to soft peaks, gradually beat in the
confectioners’ sugar and then fold in 2 tablespoons of bourbon.
From Chicago Tribune Magazine (cooking section)11-14-93. Featured was
~ Cathy Cary, who with her husband, Will, runs a catering business
(La Peche) and a 94 seat restaurant (Lilly’s) in Louisville, KY. This
issue’s feature centered around buffet items for holiday parties.
~- posted by Bud Cloyd
Yields
20 Servings