Almond Honey Pastries With Orange Cream Recipes

ALMOND & HONEY PASTRIES WITH ORANGE CREAM

Steps:

• Set aside a quarter of the almonds. Put the rest in a food processor with the icing sugar, half the butter, orange blossom water, cinnamon and egg yolk. Whizz to a paste. Scrape into a bowl and stir in most of the remaining chopped nuts.
• Unroll one sheet of brik pastry at a time, brush all over with melted butter and halve into 2 semi-circles. Shape 1 heaped tbsp of the nut mixture to look like a thin wedge shape along half the pastry edge you've just cut (leaving 2.5cm border on the rounded side), so it looks as if you're cutting the semi-circle of pastry into pieces like a cake. Roll up like a pastry cone, sealing the nut mixture inside, then brush all over with more butter and fold over the open, wide end to seal. Sit on a baking tray, end flap side down to help it stay closed, and repeat until nut mixture is used up. Cover with cling film and chill. Put zest, yogurt, cream and icing sugar in a mixing bowl. Cover and chill.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, put the pastries in and bake for 15 mins until golden and crisp. Just before they're ready, beat together the yogurt mixture until thick. Pile pastries onto a serving dish, drizzle with honey and scatter with remaining nuts. Serve with the orange cream and Honeyed orange & grapefruit (see 'Goes well with').

ALMOND PASTRIES IN HONEY SYRUP

Steps:

• Make the syrup by bringing the honey and water to the boil in a pan and simmering it for half a minute. Then let it cool.
• Mix the ground almonds with the sugar, cinnamon, and orange blossom water.
• Open the package of fillo only when you are ready to make the pastries (see page 9). Keep them in a pile so that they do not dry out. Lightly brush the top one with melted butter.
• Put a line of about 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons of the almond mixture at one of the short ends of the rectangle, into a line about 3/4 inch from the short and long edges. Roll up loosely into a fat cigar shape. Turn the ends in about one-third of the way along to trap the filling, then continue to roll with the ends opened out. Continue with the remaining sheets of fillo.
• Place the pastries on a baking sheet, brush them with melted butter, and bake them in an oven preheated to 300°F for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden and crisp.
• Turn each pastry, while still warm, very quickly in the syrup and arrange on a dish. Serve cold with the remaining syrup poured all over.
• Instead of the honey syrup, make a sugar syrup by simmering 1 cup water with 2 cups sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice for about 5 to 8 minutes, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, adding 1 tablespoon orange blossom water toward the end.
• Instead of rolling the pastries in syrup, sprinkle them with confectioners' sugar. These keep very well for days in an airtight cookie tin.
• For the dainty little "bride's fingers," cut sheets of fillo into narrow strips-they can measure from 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches wide and be about 12 inches long. You can use larger sheets cut into 3 or 4 strips. Use 1 heaped tablespoon of the filling for each roll. It makes about 28.

CREAMY LEMON ALMOND PASTRIES

Steps:

• Beat cream cheese, 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, lemon curd, lemon zest and almond extract on medium until combined. Refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, unfold puff pastry. Roll into a 12x9-in. rectangle. Using a pastry cutter or sharp knife, cut into 9 rectangles. Spoon rounded tablespoons of cream cheese mixture in center of each rectangle. In a small bowl, whisk egg with water. Brush edges with egg mixture., Wrap puff pastry around filling to cover completely. Pinch edges together to form a ball. Place seam side down, 2 inches apart, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush pastries with remaining egg mixture. Pierce each once with a fork. Bake until golden brown, 15-18 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen pastries from the parchment., Meanwhile, combine lemon juice, milk and remaining confectioners' sugar. Brush each pastry with lemon glaze. Top with almonds. When glaze is set, in 1-2 minutes, peel off parchment. Serve warm.

GREEK ALMOND-HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• Make the syrup first: bring 1 1/2 cups honey and 1 1/2 cups orange juice to a boil in a saucepan.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 5 min.
• Skim surface of syrup for any froth that may form.
• Allow syrup to cool.
• For cake: Preheat oven to 350F.
• Butter a 9 X 13 inch baking dish well.
• Sift together almond flour and baking soda.
• Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until you have a stiff meringue.
• Combine egg yolks, honey, yoghurt, almonds, orange juice concentrate, and orange zest.
• Stir into dry ingredients.
• Gently fold in 1/4 of meringue mixture to lighten almond batter, and then fold in the rest.
• It is OK to have a few white streaks.
• Pour batter into baking pan.
• Scatter blanched, slivered almonds over top.
• Bake until top is golden, about 45 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.
• Pour syrup over hot cake.
• Poke cake gently with a toothpick to help cake absorb syrup.
• Serve when cake is cool and syrup has been absorbed.
• This cake is great served with a dollop of very lightly-sweetened whipped cream.

HONEY, ALMOND, AND CITRUS FRUIT DIP

Steps:

• Beat yogurt and cream cheese together in a bowl. Stir in almond butter, orange juice, honey, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Taste and adjust amounts to your liking.

CREAM TART WITH ORANGES, HONEY, AND TOASTED-ALMOND CRUST

Steps:

• For crust:
• Brush melted butter over bottom (not sides) of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Blend flour, almonds, sugar, and salt in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add 6 tablespoons diced butter. Blend until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolk. Blend until dough comes together in moist clumps. Press dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork. Freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep frozen.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake crust until deep golden brown (crust will puff slightly), about 18 minutes. Transfer crust to rack and cool completely.
• For filling and topping:
• Place 2 teaspoons water in small cup. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Whisk yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and orange peel in medium bowl to blend. Bring milk to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk hot milk into yolk mixture. Return to same saucepan. Whisk until custard thickens and boils, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add gelatin mixture and whisk until dissolved and custard is smooth.
• Transfer custard to another medium bowl. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes (custard will be very thick).
• Beat cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Whisk custard until smooth. Fold whipped cream into custard in 3 additions. Transfer filling to crust. Chill tart until filling sets, at least 3 hours and up to 8 hours.
• Cut 1/3 inch off top and bottom of each orange. Stand 1 orange on flat end. Cut off all peel and pith, following contour of fruit. Working over bowl, cut between membranes, releasing orange segments.
• Gently slide tip of small knife between crust and sides of pan to loosen crust. Push up tart pan bottom, releasing tart.
• Cut tart into wedges. Transfer to plates. Arrange several orange segments atop each wedge of tart; drizzle with honey and serve.