Zuccotto

Toast the hazelnuts, almonds, and walnuts in a 350 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes or until they smell nutty and turn brown but not dark. Put the hazelnuts in a dish towel and rub them together to remove the skins. Coarsely chop all the nuts and combine. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, break 4 ounces of the chocolate into 1-inch pieces. Put the pieces in a microwave-safe dish. Melt the chocolate by putting the dish in a microwave oven for 3 minutes at 50-percent power. Let cool. Chop the remaining chocolate and add to the cooled nuts.

In a small cup, sprinkle the gelatin over the 2 tablespoons of orange liqueur. Let sit several minutes to soften, and then heat for about 10 seconds in the microwave oven just until warm (Do not boil). Stir and set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining orange liqueur, Cognac and grenadine in a small bowl an set aside.

Whip the cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Add the gelatin and beat until stiff. Refrigerate.

Line a 2-quart bowl with damp cheesecloth. Cut the pound cake into slices 3/8-inch thick. Cut about one-third of the slices in half on the diagonal, making them triangles.

Moisten one side of each with the grenadine mixture. Fit the pieces around the inside of the bowl, with the moistened sides facing the cheesecloth. The points of the triangles should be pointing toward the center of the bowl.

As you move further up the sides of the bowl, use the other slices of pound cake in a kind brick-like fashion. (If there are gaps here and there, don't worry. Just stick small pieces of pound cake in them. They won't be noticeable when the cake is unmolded.)

Brush the inside of the mold with the liqueur mixture. Take 2/3 of the whipped cream and mix in the nuts and chopped chocolate. Divide this mixture in half.

Pour one half of this mixture into the zuccotto cavity and smooth to even out. Mix the other half of the chocolate-nut mixture with the melted chocolate. Add this to the zuccotto cavity and smooth to even out. The plain whipped cream is the final layer.

Brush one side of the remaining pieces of pound cake with the grenadine mixture. Fit these pieces on top of the last layer of whipped cream, moistened side down. Then brush the outside of the pound cake with the remaining grenadine mixture.

Wrap the cheesecloth over the top of the zuccotto, cover with a plate and wrap the bowl and plate with foil or plastic wrap.

Refrigerate several hours or overnight (You can also freeze it, but bring to refrigerator temperature before serving.) Unmold the zuccotto onto a large plate. Remove the bowl and cheesecloth.