Walnut dream cake (plaisir aux noix)

Roughly chop the walnut halves, mix with powdered sugar and caramelize; cool completely.

Blend the caramelized walnuts in a running food processor until they form a paste (praline).

Mix egg yolks, brown sugar and cornstarch; bring the milk to a boil.

Temper the yolk mixture with the hot milk and return it all to the milk.

Cook about two minutes, whisking constantly and fast; turn off the heat and add gelatin and mascarpone.

Cover with plastic wrap in contact, cool completely and refrigerate.

Process powdered sugar and almond powder; add some milk.

Beat room-temperature egg whites, adding a little of the sugar, to a meringue.

Mix in one third of the meringue until homogenized, then the rest; add the broken caramelized walnuts last.

Bake the biscuit at 260F (130C) for about 90 minutes, until crisp outside and soft inside.

Beat the chilled pastry cream on high until completely smooth, add the walnut praline and lighten with whipped cream.

Pipe a dash of filling on the tray so the cake sticks, assemble the biscuit and filling, cover the top with a thin layer of filling and toasted sliced almonds, then pipe more filling generously.

Chill; the cake is better a day later, when the filling moistens the biscuit.