Flourless Hazelnut Tart / Torta di Nocciole (senza farina)

A couple of years ago, in mid January we went to Turin, for 10 days (you can read all about “Tales of Turin” here).
My dear friend Fulvia, who lives just outside the capital of Piedmont, was the main reason for my first ever visit to this Northern Italian town, also referred to as “little Paris”.
We had many coffees, lunches and dinners together over those cold January days. A few times, along with her husband Michele and their son Ruggero, we had a home cooked dinner at their house in Pecetto Torinese. On the last evening of our stay, we had a truly delightful meal – Fulvia loves cooking – so we were in for a real feast, even more Barolo to drink and all finished off by a delightful hazelnut tart. The tart was baked as a surprise for us by Michele’s mother.
Michele had been praising his mother’s version to be his very favourite hazelnut tart, and believe me, in Piedmont you are spoilt for tarts, biscuits or anything, sweet or savoury, involving the famous hazelnuts from the region. The beauty of this particular tart lies in its simplicity, just the delightfully fragrant hazelnuts, some sugar and eggs, allowing the toasted ground hazelnuts (not too finely) to shine!

 

Ingredients:

• 200 g of ground hazelnuts (previously toasted for better flavour)
• 180 g of sugar (I use a mix of white and demerara sugar)
• 4 eggs, separated
• a pinch of salt
• a splash of an aged dark rum (optional)
• some icing sugar to finish

Grease and line with baking parchment a spring form tin, 20 cm in diameter.
Preheat the oven to 180 C, static.

Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until they turn pale and almost triple in size. Add a pinch of salt and a splash of rum (optional).
Add the ground hazelnuts and stir in gently.

Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until they form soft peaks.
Fold them as delicately as possible (in order not to lose any precious air) into the hazelnut mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes.
Take the tart from the oven and allow to cool down for about 30 minutes before taking it off the tin.

Dust with icing sugar and serve.