Ingredients

• ¾ cup almonds (blanched and ground with 3 tablespoon granulated sugar)
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• ½ cup cake flour
• 3 egg whites
• 3 tablespoon sugar (granulated)
• Confectioner’s sugar in a sifter
• Meringue base -
• 3 large egg whites
• Pinch salt
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/3 cup sugar (granulated)
• Filling base -
• 12oz semisweet bakers chocolate (melted with 1/3 cup string coffee)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoon rum, dark, Jamaican
• 4 tablespoon butter, unsalted, softened
• Filling -
• 4 tablespoon butter, unsalted, softened
• Decoration -
• 3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa (in a tea strainer)
• Confectioners sugar (in a sifter)
• Spun caramel veil -
• 1 cup sugar (granulated)
• 3 tablespoon syrup, corn, white

Directions

• Directions
• Special equipment suggested: A jelly roll pan about 11 by 17 inches; butter, wax paper and flour for the pan; an electric blender or food processor for the almonds; a table-model electric mixer for the meringue; a pastry bag with 3/8 inch tube opening and a separate tube with 1/8 inch opening for the mushrooms; a buttered and floured no-stick pastry sheet for the mushrooms; a serving board to hold the log plenty of wax paper; an oiled broom handle suspended between 2 chair backs and newspapers on the floor, for the caramel. **For the directions, please see part 2.**