Delice aux Noisettes

Yield: 6 servings. Preheat oven to 375F. Whip 1/2 cup of the cream in a chilled bowl or over ice till soft peaks form, then add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat just to stiff peaks. Place in strainer lined with cheesecloth and set over a bowl. Place the hazelnuts on a tray in the oven for about 10 minutes. Do not let them burn. Take them out and skin them. Keep 1/2 cup of the nuts warm. In a stainless steel or aluminum saucepan, heat 1/2 cup of the sugar and 3 tablespoons of water to boiling. Add a pinch of cream of tartar and continue cooking to a light brown color. Lightly oil a baking sheet with 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil. When the syrup is a light brown, pour the 1/2 cup of warmed nuts into it and stir with a wooden spoon to coat the nuts evenly. Immediately pour them out onto the oiled baking sheet. Let cool, 10 minutes, to make nougatine. Grind the remaining 1 cup nuts with 3/4 cup of the sugar in a food processor to form nut butter. This will take from 6 to 10 minutes. The food processor may have to be scraped down from time to time, but the oils must emerge and it must be somewhat like a peanut butter. When the nougatine is cooled and hardened, chop it coarsely with a knife into pieces small enough to eat. Mix 1 cup of cream and the eggs together, add to nut butter and pour into a quiche shell. Sprinkle the nougatine over the top. Bake 25 to 35 minutes until browned and set. Serve the quiche tepid with dollops of whipped cream placed on the top with a tablespoon. Or decorate with whipped cream piped through a pastry bag.