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Filbert Roll (D, KLP, TNT)
Source: Adapated from: "Annemarie's Personal Cookbook," by Annemarie Huste (personal chef of Jacqueline Onassis)
Serves: 12

Cake:
3/4 pound (2-1/2 cups) shelled filberts (hazelnuts)
1 tsp. baking powder
7 extra large eggs (at room temperature), separated
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Filling:
2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream, cold
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp. granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 15"x10"x1/2" jelly-roll pan. Line with waxed paper and then butter the paper. Set aside.

Prepare nuts:
Spread filberts in ungreased baking pan. Place pan on center shelf of oven and bake until golden brown (15 to 20 minutes). Place pan on wire rack until nuts are cool. Grind nuts in blender or food processor.

Make Cake Batter:
Measure 2 cups of the ground filberts. Stir in baking powder. Set aside.

Beat egg white mixture: In small mixing bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted. Add 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar, 1 tbsp. at a time. Continue beating until mixture is stiff but not dry (5 to 7 minutes if using electric mixer). Set aside.

Beat egg yolk mixture: Pour egg yolks into large mixing bowl. Without washing beaters, beat until thick and lemon-colored. Add 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar and the vanilla. Continue beating until smooth. Stir in ground filbert mixture and approximately 1 cup of the stiffly beaten egg white mixture. Blend thoroughly. Gently fold in remaining beaten egg white mixture.

Spread batter in prepared baking pan. Place pan on center shelf of oven. Bake until golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (about 15 minutes). Be careful not to overbake, since the cake cannot be rolled if it is too dry.

Immediately remove pan from oven and place on a trivet. Working as quickly as possible, cover cake with damp dishtowel (which has been wrung out in cold water). Flip cake over. Peel off waxed paper. Roll up towel and cake together. Place in refrigerator to cool. Turn off oven.

Make Filling and Assembly:
Pour heavy cream, superfine sugar, and vanilla extract into medium-sized mixing bowl. Beat until consistency of whipped cream. Set aside.

Unroll cooled cake. Evenly spread sweetened whipped cream over cake. Roll up filled cake (jellyroll fashion). Transfer to oval platter. Cover with aluminum foil, making a tent. Place cake in refrigerator until ready to serve. (If desired, cake can be frozen at this point.)

When ready to serve, sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup powdered sugar over top of log.

Poster's Notes:
This is always impressive. I adapted the recipe from the first cookbook I ever purchased, "Annemarie's Personal Cookbook," by Annemarie Huste (personal chef of Jacqueline Onassis, and subsequently owner of a renowned cooking school and catering service), and have been making it since I was a teenager.

It can be baked, filled, and frozen, always an advantage to my way of thinking. Note that nuts take the place of flour. (The cookbook called for pecans, but I have always used filberts. They need not be blanched.)

Posted by Virginia Sauer (Sir Angus), Z'L

Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A