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
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