This Turinese dessert is a rum-soaked chocolate terrine with cookies and almonds. Traditionally made with butter cookies, it can also be made with Vanilla Wafers.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup rum
• 16 Tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 Tbs caster sugar*
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 cups almond slivers
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 12 butter cookies or Vanilla Wafers
• confectioners sugar for decoration
• whipped cream (optional)
• berries (optional)

Directions

1. Lightly grease a loaf shaped pan.
2. In a double boiler melt the chocolate over low heat.
3. When the chocolate is dissolved stir in the rum and remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. Cream the butter and sugar by beating until light and fluffy.
5. Add the egg yolks and beat in one-at-a-time.
6. Stir in the almonds and cooled chocolate.
7. In a separate bowl beat the egg whiles and salt until the whites are stiff enough to begin to form peaks. Test by dipping the beaters into the egg whites and pulling them up. Do the whites form little peaks?
8. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture with a spatula. Mix gently but thoroughly. There should be no white showing.
9. Break up the cookies into 1/2" x 1/2" size pieces.
10. Fold the cookies into the chocolate mixture.
11. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the loaf pan. Spread it evenly and smooth the top.
12. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 5 hours.
13. Unmold an hour before serving by running a knife around the sides of the pan and dip the bottom into hot water for a few seconds. Place a chilled serving dish upside down over the pan and, holding the pan in place, flipping the plate and pan over. The terrine should slide out. If it doesn't slide out rap the plate on the counter. (An option is to use a springform loaf pan.)
14. You can smooth the top and sides with a warm metal spatula. Simply run the spatula under hot water and then smooth the terrine.
15. Return to the refrigerator for 1 hour.
16. Just before serving sprinkle confectioners sugar over the top.
17. Cut the terrine into thin slices and serve, if desired, with whipped cream and berries.

*--You can make caster sugar by blending regular sugar in a blender for 1-2 minutes.

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Kaiser La Forme Loaf Springform Pan
This pan will solve much of the problem with unmolding the terrine. It is also fantastic for dinners where space is a premium. Change the shape of the dish!