hazelnut torte

method

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter an 11-inch loose-bottomed tart pan or 10-inch springform pan, line it with wax paper and place it in the fridge. Put the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 5 minutes, until lightly golden. Allow to cool, then whiz up in a food processor until you have a fine powder — be careful not to overwhiz. You can bash the nuts up in a dish towel using a rolling pin if you don’t have a food processor.

Beat the butter and sugar together either in the food processor or in a bowl with a whisk, until pale. Add the egg yolks one by one, and the orange zest. Sift in the flour, crumble in the ricotta and stir in the powdered hazelnuts and the poppy seeds. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are really stiff, then fold them slowly into the hazelnut mixture. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake in the preheated oven for around 25—30 minutes, until there is a little color on the top of the torte. You can check to see that it’s ready by stick- ing a toothpick into the center of the torte. It should come out clean and not sticky. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. While it’s cooling, place the jam in a little pan with 4 tablespoons of water and bring this slowly up to a boil. Brush this over the top of the torte and, when cool, sprinkle with the grated chocolate. Serve with some crème fraîche or fromage frais.

serves: 8

ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature, plus extra for pan
• 41/2 oz hazelnuts
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large organic eggs, separated
• zest of 1 orange
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 41/2 oz ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
a pinch of salt
• 3 heaping tablespoons jam, preferably apricot
• 1 3/4 oz best-quality bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely grated