Blanch the almonds, then grind them with the raw egg whites
(1). Store in the fridge.
When ready to use, fold in the raw egg whites (2). Then add
the melted fat and, if necessary, a little of the cooked sugar
meringue.
Arrange on paper inside a circle to avoid spreading.

Your usual recipe
Cream, lightly praline-flavored interior with Cointreau® 60%.

Your usual recipe

Beat the sugar and egg whites over the heat, then whisk until
stiff (3e). When completely cool, add the chopped toasted
hazelnuts. Place on buttered and floured baking sheets. Bake
in a low oven.

Coat the fragility base with the praline cream.
Lay the genoise base, then soak it in Cointreau®.
Add a second layer of praline cream.
Cover with hazelnut meringue base.
Cover completely with hazelnut glaze or a very thin milk couverture, into which chopped roasted almonds have been incorporated.
Allow to set in the fridge.
Finish by adding the Cointreau® vignette.

Because Mandrin, born in 1726, represents the kind of popular bandit the public is still nostalgic about. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat, a red suit and armed to the teeth, the greatest smuggler of the 18th century roamed the roads of the Dauphiné, Beaujolais, Vivarais and Cévennes regions on horseback at the head of a troop of 50 riders, transporting salt, tobacco and India, under the noses of the gabelous and dragons du Roy.

With unprecedented audacity, he seized a number of strongholds and fought furiously against the troops in pursuit. Mandrin was kidnapped from his winter quarters at Rochefort-en-Novalaise, a foreign territory in the Kingdom of Sardinia, and executed in Valence on May 27, 1755.

Mandrin, who knew how to appreciate good things, old wines and liqueurs alike, would certainly have enjoyed tasting “Mandrin with Cointreau®” and offering a slice to his friends, or even, in chivalrous fashion, to his enemies.