Chocolate-Macadamia Nut Toffee Torte

To make the pate cigarette: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lay a sheet of parchment paper or buttered foil on a work surface. Lay a 24-inch-by-14-inch piece of patterned metal mesh on top of the paper or foil as a stencil. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Gradually bet in the egg whites until well blended. Gradually beat in the flour and mix to a smooth batter. Blend in the vanilla. Pour half of the batter into a large bowl and stir in the cocoa powder until completely blended.

With a long thin spatula, spread the chocolate batter across the stencil in a very thin layer. Use a squeegee to scrape across the back of the stencil, leaving the chocolate batter in the holes. Carefully lift the stencil. Lift the paper or foil and place on a large baking sheet pan. Put the pan in the freezer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the design is set.

Put the pan on a work surface. Using a clean spatula, quickly spread the white batter in a 1/8-inch-thick layer over the chocolate design, taking care not to disturb the chocolate layer. Bake for 7 minutes, or until very lightly browned. Set aside to cool slightly. Lay a sheet of parchment paper or waxed paper on top of the cake and, grasping the top and bottom layers of paper, flip the cake over. Peel off the paper or foil to reveal the design. Let cool completely. Do not refreeze.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place 2-inch-tall by 4-inch-diameter ring molds or PVC pipe sections on the paper. Cut flexible heavy plastic into 8 strips, each 3-1/2 inches wide nd 12-1/2 inches long. Line each mold with a strip, which will stand 1-1/2 inches above the top of the molds. Make sure the ends of the strips meet.

Cut 8 strips of cake 12-1/2 inches long and 3-1/2 inches wide to fit inside the prepared ring molds. Gently roll the cake strip, pattern-side out, and place it in the ring mold, unrolling it around the side of the mold. Make sure the ends meet but do not overlap.

To make the sables: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly buttered foil. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually stir in the flour to blend. Add the egg yolk, stirring to blend completely. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured board to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out eight 2-3/8-inch-diameter discs. With a thin spatula, transfer the discs to the baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake 8 to 9 minutes, or until golden. Let cool. Remove the cookies from the pan with a spatula and press one into the bottom of each mold. They should fit snugly.

To make the macadamia nut-toffee filling: In a medium, heavy saucepan, melt the sugar over medium-high heat, swirling until it turns a light golden brown. Remove from heat and swirl in the butter. Return to the heat and stir in the cream. Add the nuts and stir to coat. Let cool. Place 1 tablespoon of filling at the bottom of each mold to cover the cookie.

To make the ganache: Put the chocolate in a medium bowl. In a heavy saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Stirring from the center outwards in a spiral, stir the chocolate and cream together as the chocolate melts. Stir in the Grand Marnier. Spoon 1 tablespoon into each mold over the filling.

To make the milk chocolate mousse: Melt the milk chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. In a deep bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Stir a large spoonful of whipped cream into the warm chocolate, mixing thoroughly. Gently fold the remainder of the cream and chocolate together. Put the mousse in a pastry bag fitted with a medium tip and pipe a 1/2-inch layer into each mold.

To make the dark chocolate mousse: Melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. In a deep bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Stir a large spoonful of whipped cream into the warm chocolate, mixing thoroughly. Gently fold the remainder of the cream and chocolate together. Fill the molds completely with the mousse and smooth the top with a thin spatula. The molds should now be filled to the top of the plastic collars. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To make the glazed bananas: In a small, heavy saucepan, melt the sugar over medium-high heat and swirl in the lemon juice. Continue to cook the mixture until it is a light golden brown. Gradually pour in the cream, stirring constantly. Swirl in the butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat and fold in the banana, stirring gently until coated.

To make the sabayon: In a double boiler over barely simmering water, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together. Stir in the liqueur. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the spoon. Let cool completely. Fold in the cream. Gently fold in the glazed banana slices.

To make the glaze: Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Add the syrup and nappage and stir until smooth.

To assemble: Remove the molds from the refrigerator. With a thin spatula, loosen the bottom of each mold from the paper. Lift the rings off the molds. Gently peel away the plastic collars. With a small spoon, spread 1-1/2 teaspoons of glaze on the top of each torte, being careful; not to let the glaze drip down the sides (if the glaze drips, skim it off with a kitchen knife or spatula). Return the tortes to the refrigerator for 5 minutes to firm.

To serve: Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Put the chocolate in a pastry bag fitted with a fine plain tip. Pipe 2 thin intersecting lines on the top border of the serving plate. With a spatula or your fingers, place a torte in the center of each plate. Pool 2 tablespoons sabayon on one side of each torte. Pipe a dot of chocolate at the bottom edge of the torte and press one striped chocolate garnish into the chocolate, holding it for a few seconds until it sets and holds firmly. Garnish with a few raspberries, a pulled sugar leaf, and a pulled sugar spiral.

Striped Chocolate Garnishes

This recipe makes dark chocolate striped with white chocolate; to create dark chocolate on a white chocolate background simply reverse the recipe and directions. The finished sheet of striped chocolate can be cut into many shapes; for the torte above, it is cut into large triangles which are then curved and allowed to set. Any time you are working with chocolate, yo can warm it just slightly with a heat lamp or blow dryer to keep it flexible. Any excess chocolate at any step can be scraped back into the pan and allowed to remelt. Chocolate garnishes can be held in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use. Cool hands, a cool head, and a cool room are helpful when working with chocolate.

Place the flexible plastic sheet in a large sheet pan. Melt the white chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Heat to only 100 F. Remove from the heat source and let cool to 90 F. Pour the white chocolate out onto the plastic. With a spatula, quickly spread it out 1/8-inch thick over the plastic. Using the masonry comb, scrape through the chocolate down to the plastic to create straight lines the length of the plastic. Refrigerate for 5 minutes to set.

Melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Heat to only 110 F. Remove from the heat source and let cool to 90 F. Remove the white chocolate lines from the refrigerator. With a clean spatula, spread the dark chocolate over the back of the stripes. Be careful not to disturb the stripes. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.

Stand 8 small glasses on each of 2 baking sheets, creating pairs of glasses 3 inches apart. Cut the sheet in quarters through the still-soft chocolate and the plastic. Cut each rectangle diagonally to create 8 triangles. Position the heat lamp to keep the sheet warm, but not hot; you only want to keep the chocolate flexible, not melt it. Working with one triangle at a time, bend the plastic and push the loop between 2 of the glasses, making sure the plastic side is touching the glasses; fold the point end and blunt end around the outside of the glasses and hold until set. Leave in place and proceed with the next until all 8 triangles have been bent. Place in the refrigerator to set hard; store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.