• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup margarine, softened
• 4 eggs, separated
• 2 1/4 cups almonds, sliced, blanched
• 7 oz. unsweetened chocolate

SAUCE:

• 2 cups strawberries, frozen, unsweetened
• 1 cup sugar

With blender, mix sugar and margarine until fluffy. Add egg yolks. In a food processor, process almonds and chocolate until finely ground. Stir into sugar mixture.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Mix 1/3 whites into batter. Gently fold in remaining whites. Spread batter into pan, smoothing top. Bake about 1 1/2 hours, until top springs back. Cool for 10 minutes before releasing.

SAUCE: thaw and puree 2 cups frozen unsweetened strawberries. In small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar and puree. Simmer 3 minutes. Cover and cool.

TO SERVE: place sauce on plate. Place torte on top. Garnish with fresh strawberries.

Penina W. Freedenberg, Rockville, MD