Subject: COLLECTION: Passover desserts
From: [email-masked] (Maurine Neiberg)
Date: 06 Feb 1994 18:08:17 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes

Here's my passover dessert file as well.  (I've only made the first
cake, and it's a family favorite.  

Reprinted without permission from _The Jewish Holiday Cookbook_ by Gloria
Kaufer Greene [editorial comments will be in square brackets.  IMHO this is a
truly great cookbook] 

Hazelnut-Choclolate Viennese Torte

Notes: The grated chocolate and ground nuts in this torte replace flour and,
thus, must be very fine and powdery.  You can use a rotary grater or a food
processor to accomplish this, however, if the latter is used, be sure not to
over-grind the nuts or they may get oily and pasty.  For the best results,
have nuts at room temperature and process them in pulses.

Finely ground unblanched almonds, pecans, or walnuts may be substituted for
the hazelnuts (which are sometimes called filberts).

[Often at this time of year stores that carry Kosher foods sell very finely
ground hazelnuts and almonds, which makes life simpler.]

If preffered, the glaze can be omitted, and the torte topped instead with a
thick layer of chocolate mousse. [recipe follows]

Ingredients:

Potato Starch or Sugar for pan

Batter [may be doubled for 2 layers]

6 large eggs, 5 of them separated
pinch of salt
2 tsps lemon juice, preferabley fresh
3/4 cup sugar, divided
2 tsps grated lemon rind
3 oz. very finely grated semisweet (or "dark") Chocolate 
2 1/2 cups very finely ground unblanced hazelnuts (approx 8 oz)

For Torte:
1/4 cup sweet Pesach wine, sherry or flavored brandy [I've always used Keyem's
raspberry syrup.  Yum!]
about 1/2 cup apricot (or other) jam

Chocolate Glaze:
1/3 cup water
3 TBSP vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Garnish [if you must]
about 1 cup ground nuts for sides of torte
12 whole hazelnuts
1oz chocolate for curls

Instructions:

Grease a 9 inch springform pan well and coat it with potato starch or sugar,
tapping out excess.

For the batter, in a large mixing bowl, beat the 5 egg whites with the salt
and lemon juice until foamy.  Very gradually add 1/4 cup sugar and continue
beating the whites until they form stiff, but not dry, peaks.

Use the same beaters and another bowl to beat the 5 egg yolks and additional
egg with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and lemon rind until very light and
fluffy.  Gently but thouroughly fold the beaten whites into yolks.  Fold in
chocolate and nuts, and pour batter into pan.

Bake torte in a preheated 325 degree oven for 50-55 minutes or until top
springs back when gently pressed.

[this will not rise as much as you think it ought.  Don't worry about it]

Leave the torte in the oven, turn off the heat, and open the door slightly.
After 10 minutes remove torte from oven.  Run a knife around the edge of the
torte to release it from the pan rim.  Cool it for another 30 minutes in the
pan.  Remove the pan rim and cool the torte completely on the bottom.

[This next part is for icing the Torte.  What I've done in the past is make 2
layers, following the above directions, doubled the amount of raspberry syrup
and dribbled half over each torte as per the directions and skipped the jam.
I've then used the chocolate glaze as an icing for between the layers, and the
"Instant" Chocolate Mousse recipe for the outside icing of the whole thing.]

Cover a 9 or 10 inch cardboard circle with heavy duty aluminum foil or freezer
paper or use a cake plate.  Invert torte onto base and remove pan bottom.
Sprinkle wine [or whatever] evenly over torte.  Heat jam until thinned; then
bruch or spread it all over the torte.  (this adds flavor and smooths the
surface).

For the glaze, combine the water, oil, sugar, and cocoa in a small suacepan
and mix very well.  Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for
10-14 minutes, or until the glaze thickens slightly and is very smooth and
shiney.  For the best flavor and texture it should not boil.  Remove glaze
from heat and stir 3-4 minutes longer until it cools slightly and gets a bit
thicker.  Pour all the glaze in the center of the torte and immediately use a
metal or rubber spatula to evenly spread it all over top and sides.  Wipe up
any drips from base.

Let torte rest a few minutes until the glaze begins to set, but is still soft.
Press handfulls of ground nuts all over the sides, but not the top.  Arrange
whole nuts, evenly spaced in circle on top about 1 inch from edge.  Heap
chocolate curls or bits in center.

Refrigerate the uncovered, completed torte for several hours or, prefferably,
overnight so the glaze will set and the flavors and textures will "mellow".

(Once the glaze has set, the torte can be frozen for up to 3 weeks.  Freeze it
uncovered, then wrap it in plastic wrap or tin foil.  Unwrap it before thawing
and thaw for several hours in the refridgerator.

"INSTANT" CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

6 oz semisweet (or "dark" chocolate
1/2 tsp instant coffee \ [I've used 1/3 cup extra strong boiling coffee]
1/3 cup boiling water  /
4 large eggs, separated
3 TBSP sweet Pesach wine, Pesach Liqueur, or orange juice [or raspberry syrup]
3 TBSP sugar

Put the chocolate and instant coffee in food processor fitted with steel
blade, or a blender, and process for a few seconds until chocolate is finely
chopped.  With the machine running, pour the boiling water in through the top,
and continue processing for several more seconds, until the chocolate is
completely melted.  Add the egg yolks and wine and process until well mixed.

In a medium sized bowl, beat egg whites until foamy.  Gradually add sugar and
continue beating until stiff.  Fold chocolate into whites until no streaks of
white remain.  Turn into serving dishes, and chill for several hours until
firm.

Serves 6