almonds Archives - Page 3 of 3 -

November 13, 2014

Apricot Almond Shortbread Bars

I would consider myself a fairly disciplined person when it comes to eating, but my one can’t-say-no-to type of dessert is anything with almonds. Lucky for me that Ryan loves almond desserts too. Some of our favorites are this raspberry frangipane tart, the almond cake from The Art of Simple Food, these almond cloud cookies, and of course, these Apricot Almond Shortbread Bars. I usually vary the cookies that I make each holiday season, but I almost always try to include these because I never get tired of them. With the holidays approaching, I was thinking about putting these cookies on my Christmas baking list and then I remembered I had actually made these for my son’s cello recital a few months ago and never posted the photos and recipe. I am actually thinking about making these twice in one year so considering that I hardly ever make the same dessert twice ever, that says a lot! What sets these bar cookies apart from other cookies that may look similar is the almond paste, which contributes to the splendid almond flavor and incredible chewy texture. Apricot preserves complement the almond flavor nicely although I imagine raspberry preserves would also be lovely. These are delicious slightly warm, at room temperature, and also cold. They freeze well so they can be made in advance and thawed when ready to serve.

Apricot Almond Shortbread Bars

Ingredients

¾ cup apricot preserves
1-2 tablespoons rum
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup natural cane sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup packed almond paste, crumbled (about 2.5 ounces)
½ cup sliced almonds, divided

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325. Butter a 9x9-inch or 7x11-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, stir together the almond preserves and rum. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on high speed. Beat in the almond extract. Add the flour and salt and mix together on medium speed until flour is just incorporated. Transfer 1 cup of dough to another small bowl and add the crumbled almond paste. Use fingers to mix together until small clumps begin to form. Mix in ¼ cup sliced almonds. Put mixture in refrigerator to chill for a few minutes.
Use hands to press the remaining dough in the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Spread preserves evenly over the dough. Crumble the slightly chilled almond paste mixture over the preserves and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup almonds on top. Press the topping lightly into the preserves.
Bake until shortbread bars start to brown and become golden, about 50 minutes. Cool for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares.

Notes

slightly adapted from Bon Appetit

link

August 25, 2014

Wild Blueberry Pie with Almond Oat Crumble

Wild Blueberries make me reminisce about childhood summer vacations in Maine. I have vivid memories of hiking along the breathtaking coastline, visiting quaint little towns, devouring lobster rolls and fresh clam chowder, and picking wild blueberries. Maine is the only place where I have ever seen wild blueberries grown. They are much smaller than the blueberries commonly seen in grocery stores, but they are sweeter and have an even more intense blueberry flavor. I have not been able to find fresh wild blueberries anywhere locally so I used frozen wild blueberries here in this pie. The wild blueberries make this pie really spectacular, but you can also substitute regular blueberries if you cannot find wild. The almond crumble topping made from almond paste and oats enhances the whole blueberry experience. I make this pie every summer and dream about vacationing in Maine.

Wild Blueberry Pie with Almond Oat Crumble

Ingredients

Crust

½ cup + 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon natural cane sugar
½ cup (8 tablespoons) of cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
2-4 tablespoons ice water

Filling

⅔ cup natural cane sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
32 ounces fresh or frozen wild blueberries, about 7 cups
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Crumble

⅓ cup old-fashioned oats
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
4 ounces almond paste, broken into small pieces, about ¾ cup
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ teaspoon salt
Vanilla ice cream for serving

Instructions

Crust

Add the flours, salt, and sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 times, or until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
While the food processor is running, gradually add the water and process until dough just comes together, no more than 30 seconds. Start with the minimum amount of water and increase if dough is too crumbly.
Form the dough into a flat circular disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
On a lightly floured board, roll dough into a circle about ⅛-inch thick. Carefully transfer the crust into the pie dish and trim the overhanging dough with a knife. Crimp the edges as desired.
Chill crust in the refrigerator while preparing the filling and topping.

Filling

In a large pot, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. With a wooden spoon, sir in the blueberries and lemon juice. Stir gently over medium heat until mixture thickens and becomes bubbly, about 12-15 minutes.
Chill filling until cool, about 1 hour.

Crumble

Add the oats, flour, almond paste, butter,and salt into the bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture begins to hold together. Transfer to a small bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Assembly

Preheat the oven to 400.
Pour the blueberry filling into the chilled pie crust. Using your index finger and thumb, pinch small pieces of the almond oat crumble and sprinkle evenly over the filling.
Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust and topping become golden and the filling bubbles, about 45-50 minutes.
Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

adapted from Bon Appetit

June 2, 2014

Raspberry Frangipane Tart

My adventurous world-traveller cousin is here visiting for a few days and I made this raspberry frangipane tart to celebrate his arrival. Frangipane is an almond filling and is somewhat similar to a pastry cream. After it bakes, this tart has a creamy and slightly chewy middle and a buttery and flaky cookie crust. And did I mention it is also flavored with rum? The rum flavor is mild yet distinct and complements the almonds and raspberries perfectly.

I found the crust to be slightly finicky to work with as it did not roll out quite as easily as a more traditional pie crust. Any tears were easily pressed and patched together however and the imperfections were not noticeable once it was filled. I substituted some whole wheat pastry flour for the all-purpose flour, but you can keep it to the all-purpose flour if you prefer. I used a 14 x 4-inch rectangular tart pan, but this will also work in a 9-inch circular pan.

Be sure to plan ahead for this dessert because it needs several hours for the frangipane to set before it is served. After it is set, it can be served chilled or at room temperature.

Raspberry Frangipane Tart

Serves: a 14 x 4-inch rectangular tart pan or a 9-inch round tart pan

Ingredients

For the Crust:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1½ tablespoons sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons ice water
For the Frangipane:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup blanched almonds, finely ground
3 tablespoons dark rum
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon almond extract
For Assembly:
2 pints raspberries
1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions

For the Crust:

Place the flour and sugar into a food processor and give a quick pulse to combine. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the flour and sugar. Pulse until mixture resembles a course meal, about 10 seconds. (Alternatively, use a pastry blender to cut the butter cubes into the flour and sugar.)
With the food processor running, gradually add the egg yolk and then the ice water. Process until the dough just comes together.
Using hands, form a rectangular disk with the dough and tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Chill dough for at least one hour.
Roll dough on a floured surface into a 16 x 6-inch rectangle. Line the tart pan with the rolled dough and fold over the edges to fit. Press the edges of the pastry into the tart pan.
Place crust in the refrigerator to chill.

For the Frangipane and Assembly:

Preheat oven to 425.
Cream together the butter and sugar on medium high speed with an electric stand mixer. Add the egg and mix again on medium speed. Add the almonds, rum, flour, and almond extract. Beat together until smooth.
Spread frangipane evenly into the chilled crust.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and filling is set. If the top is turning brown too quickly, cover with foil. (I covered mine with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.)
Cool on a rack for several hours for frangipane to set.
Decoratively add the raspberries in rows on the tart and sprinkle a light dusting of powdered sugar on top. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Notes

adapted from The Martha Stewart Cookbook