Macaroon Cake (gateau Sec Aux Noisettes)

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Title: MACAROON CAKE (GATEAU SEC AUX NOISETTES)
Categories: Cakes
Yield: 6 servings

100 g Flaky pastry (3 1/2 oz)
30 g Raspberries (1 oz)
110 g Sugar (3 3/4 oz)
75 g Ground hazelnuts (2 1/2 oz)
2 x Egg whites
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Caster sugar
Icing sugar
Slivered almonds

Puree the raspberries in a liquidiser with 35 g ( 1 1/4 oz) of the
sugar, then pass the mixture through a tamis.

Prepare a macaroon paste by mixing, with a spatula, the rest of the
sugar, the ground powered nuts, the egg whites and lemon rind.

Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 2-3 mm ( 1/8 in) and line an 18
cm ( 7 in) tart tin with a removable base. Prick it all over with the
prongs of a fork (Put it in a refrigerator if you are not going to
bake it at once).

Pre-heat the oven to 220 oC/425 oF.

Lightly sprinkle caster sugar over the uncooked pastry, then spread
the raspberry puree over it in a smooth layer.

Spread the macaroon mixture over the raspberry, smoothing the surface
with the help of a spatula.

Cook the cake for 40 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Reduce the heat
to 180 oC/350 oF after 20 minutes if it is browning too quickly. Take
it out and leave it to cool a little.

Scatter the slivered almonds over the top of the cake while it is
still warm. Sprinkle the cake with icing sugar then put it under hot
grill for just long enough to caramelise the sugar lightly. Take
care, as this takes barely a minute.

Let the cake cool, then take it out of the tin.

(From: Fredy Girardet, Cuisine Spontanee, M Papermac, ISBN 0 333
40957 4)

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