Gateau aux Noix

Harvesting walnuts is a hundred time more pleasant than harvesting chestnuts. The dogs follow me around, mischeviously snapping up walnuts right out from under me and then darting away- a cheerful crunch and I see that Merlot cracks open the shell and leaves not a morsel of meat. A gnawing sound and I see that the puppy, Aron, hasn't quite figured out how to free the nuts but makes up for it by slobbering on and destroying three times as many.

Here at Domaine d'Antenet, the payoff is the Vin de Noix which Phillipe makes each year- a fortified wine drunk as an aperetif or dessert wine. The wine is flavored with mashed walnuts and I underneath the raisinated, nutty warth there's a barely perceptible bitter flavor. This, of course, is a trade secret- but I asked him if I tasted some kind of citrus rind, was it orange? He just winked at me- but I'm almost certain he does.

But I digress. These cakes are traditional to Quercy, seasonal and at the moment are being advertised outside every bakery in the Southwest of France and for all I know, everwhere. They seem to sell out every day.The ones I see in bakery windows have a maple- colored fondant like icing, which is beautiful but tooth achingly sweet...Here's what I found in the lovely cookbook Maryline and Phillipe gave me as a going away gift.

Preheat oven to 350

Pate sucree

Filling:
250g fresh walnuts, ground
300ml heavy cream
vanilla
70-100g sugar (I like things less sweet, generally, and the walnuts soften the texture of this cake enough already that I don't think it would miss it)
1 egg white, beaten untill stiff
salt

Icing, if you like, seems to just involve sugar and some kind of brandy. And wanuts halves to decorate

Roll out the pastry to fill little tart pans or a large one.

Combine the cream, vanilla, sugar, salt and ground nuts, then gently incorporate the beaten egg white. Bake for 35 minutes or until the center is firm but keep an eye on it at 25 minutes to make sure the center doesn't split.