---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02
  
       Title: CHESTNUT ALMOND TORTE
  Categories: Desserts, American
       Yield: 10 servings
  
       4    Egg yolks
     3/4 c  Sugar
   2 1/4 c  Heaping cups (roughly 1/2lb
            -unshelled chestnuts, peeled
            -and put through food mill)
       2 tb Dark rum
       1 c  Whole, shelled almonds,
            -blanched, peeled, and
            -put through food mill
       5    Egg whites
            Unsalted butter
            Flour
 
 ------------------CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM------------------
       3 oz Semisweet chocolate
       1 c  Heavy cream, whipped
 
 -----------------------APRICOT GLAZE-----------------------
       3 tb Apricot jam
       1 tb Dark rum
 
 ----------------------CHOCOLATE ICING----------------------
       4 oz Semisweet chocolate
       6 tb Unsalted butter
  
   Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
   Beat yolks and sugar until very light and fluffy. This
   will take several minutes even with an electric
   beater. The end product should have an off-white color.
   Add chestnuts and run to yolk-sugar mixture. Blend
   together and add half the almonds.
   Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into mixture.
   Next, fold in rest of almonds and pour mixture into a
   buttered, floured, 10x2.5 inch spring mold.
   Place filled mold in oven. After 10 minutes, reduce
   heat to 325 deg F and bake for 35 to 50 minutes more,
   until cake has pulled away slightly from sides of mold.
   Remove from oven, let cool, unmold, and cut into two
   layers of equal thickness, leaving spring mold bottom
   attached to bottom of 1 layer. Apply chocolate whipped
   cream to top of bottom layer and arrange the other
   layer on top of that. Several hours before serving,
   glaze top of top layer with hot apricot glaze.
   When glaze has set, prepare icing. Balance cake in one
   hand, with hand under spring mold bottom, and dribble
   icing over top of cake. Tilt cake back and forth to
   coat evenly. Put cake on a rack and finish icing sides
   with a table knife or spatula. Refrigerate until icing
   sets. CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM FILLING:
     Place chocolate and 3 tb water in a small pan, over
   low flame. Stir until
     chocolate melts into water and mixture is smooth.
   Start with 3 tb water
     and add more if necessary for smooth texture.
     Cool, but do not refrigerate. Combine with whipped
   cream. APRICOT GLAZE:
     Heat jam until it thickens slightly.
     Add rum off heat and apply immediately to cake.
   CHOCOLATE ICING:
     Soften chocolate in a double boiler over simmering
   water.
     Add butter to chocolate. When butter melts, stir it
   into chocolate until
     mixture is smooth and all lumps have disappeared. If
   icing is too thick
     to pour, add more butter. If it is too loose, add a
   small amount of
     chocolate. It should coat the spoon heavily and drip
   slowly off.
  
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