1. In saucepan combine: 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, and 1/2 cup blanched almonds. 2. Cook without stirring until mixture is color of dark molasses. 3. Pour onto oiled cookie sheet and let cool. 4. Detach the praline from sheet with pancake turner and break into pieces. 5. Blend half at a time in container of an electric blender for about 20 seconds, or until ground to a fine powder. 6. Store in refrigerator in a tightly closed container. 7. Preheat oven to very hot 450 degrees F. 8. In separate pans or pie plates put 1+ 1/2 cups blanched almonds and 1 full cup skinned hazelnuts. 9. Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes, or until brown, shaking pans occasionally. 10. Remove from oven and cool. 11. Grind 1 cup at a time in an electric blender on high speed for about 5 seconds, and empty into a bowl. 12. Mix ground nuts with 1 1/2 cups sugar. 13. Reduce oven to very slow 250º F. 14. Beat until stiff: 8 egg whites (reserve yolks for butter cream), a pinch of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar. 15. Gradually fold in the sugar-nut mixture. 16. Line baking sheets with waxed paper and butter paper lightly. 17. On it mark 4 bands about 12 inches long and 4 wide. 18. Spread these bands thickly with the meringue-nut mixture, and bake in the slow oven for about 30 minutes, or until crusty on top, but still pliable. 19. Invert on waxed paper, and carefully remove waxed paper from bottom of bands. 20. Cool. 21. Melt 6 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces over hot water. 22. Cut circles 2 1/2 inches in diameter from waxed paper and spread these rounds with a thin coating of the melted chocolate. 23. Place rounds on a cookie sheet and chill in refrigerator. 24. In saucepan combine: 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, and 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar. 25. Bring to a boil and boil rapidly to 240ºF on a candy thermometer, or until syrup spins a long thread. 26. Gradually beat the hot syrup into 8 egg yolks, and continue to beat until the mixture is cool and thick. 27. Beat in bit by bit: 1+1/2 cups sweet butter. 28. This makes 1 quart butter cream. 29. Measure 1 cup of the butter cream and flavor it with 1 teaspoon vanilla. 30. Measure a second cup and flavor it with 1/4 cup praline powder. 31. Melt: 3 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces with 1 tablespoon water and stir into remaining butter cream. 32. Chill all cream until firm enough to spread. 33. PRESENTATION: Place a meringue band on a serving plate and spread with vanilla cream. 34. Top with second meringue band and spread with half the chocolate cream. 35. Top with the third meringue band. 36. Frost sides with remaining chocolate cream and sprinkle top heavy with confectioner's sugar. 37. Carefully peel waxed paper from bottom of the chocolate wafers and decorate the sides of the cake by overlapping the wafers all the way around. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nutrition
Ingredients
