GATEAU MARJOLAINE

Le gâteau Marjolaine de Fernand Point (Pyramide)

Ingredients for the Meringue-Nut Cake

• 1 ½ cup blanched almonds
• 1 cup skinned hazelnuts
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 8 egg whites, (be sure to reserve the yolks)
• 1 pinch salt
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions for Meringue-Nut Cake

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In separate baking pans or pie plates put the almonds and hazelnuts.
3. Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes or until browned, shaking the pans occasionally.
4. Remove from oven and cool. 
5. DO NOT turn off oven, reduce the heat to 250 degrees.
6. Once the nuts are cool grind 1 cup at a time in a blender on high speed for about 5 seconds then empty into a medium bowl.
7. Mix ground nuts with sugar, set aside.
8. Beat egg whites until stiff.
9. Add salt and cream of tartar to egg whites.
10. Gradually fold in the nut mixture.
11. Line baking sheets with wax paper and butter lightly.
12. Mark the wax paper to note 4 bands about 12 inches long and 4 inches wide.
13. Spread the meringue-nut mixture on these bands thickly.
14. Bake about 30 minutes or until crusty on top but still pliable.
15. Remove from oven and carefully invert onto another sheet of wax paper.
16. Carefully remove the wax paper from the bottom of bands. (The wax paper that the bands were baked on.)
17. Set aside and cool.

Chocolate Wafers

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Place chocolate chips in a glass or stainless steel (best) bowl.
2. Choose a saucepan that will allow the rim of the bowl to rest on the rim of the saucepan.
3. Fill the saucepan with water and bring to a boil.
4. Remove water from the heat.
5. Place bowl with chocolate chips in the saucepan over the water.
6. Allow the chips to melt stirring occasionally to make sure all of the chips have melted.
7. Cut 2 ½ inch circles from wax paper.
8. Spread circles with a thin coating of melted chocolate.
9. Place rounds on a cookie sheet and chill until firm.

Butter Cream 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 8 egg yolks
• 1 ½ cups unsalted sweet butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ cup praline powder
• 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon water
• Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan combine sugar, water, and cream of tartar.
2. Bring to a boil; rapidly boil to 240 degrees on a candy thermometer or until syrup spins a long thread.
3. Place egg yolks in a medium bowl.
4. Gradually add hot syrup to egg yolks while beating.
5. Beat syrup and egg yolks until cool and thick.
6. Cut butter into pieces.
7. Bit by bit, beat butter into egg mixture. This produce 1 quart of butter cream.
8. Measure out 1 cup of butter cream and add vanilla, mix lightly.
9. Measure out a second cup of butter cream and add praline powder, mix lightly.
10. Melt chocolate chips with water.
11. Stir melted chocolate into the remaining butter cream.
12. Chill the creams until ready to spread.