Almond Tart Crostata Di Mandorle Recipes

ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle, about 16 inches long and 6 inches wide. Fit into a 4 1/2-by-14-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim pastry using scissors or a sharp paring knife. Transfer to refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
• Prick the bottom of pastry all over with a fork. Line the pastry with parchment paper; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until pastry begins to color around the edges 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and weights, and continue to bake just until the pastry dries out and turns a light golden color. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place prepared tart shell on baking sheet; set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the almonds, cream, sugar, salt, Grand Marnier, and almond extract over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the zest. Pour into prepared tart shell. Bake until filling is set and caramel colored, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before removing from the pan. Do not allow the caramelized sugar to harden completely, or it will be difficult to remove.

ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine flour, sugar, and salt. In a small glass measuring cup, stir together butter, vanilla, and 1/2 tablespoon water; pour over flour mixture. Stir to combine. With floured hands, press dough into prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove tart shell from oven, and reduce heat to 350 degrees.
• Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, stir together almonds, heavy cream, sugar, egg, almond extract, Grand Marnier, and salt. Pour filling into crust. Bake tart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet until golden brown, about 45 minutes.

DIANE'S ALMOND TARTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream 1 cup butter and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup cornstarch. Shape into a ball and refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness, cut into appropriate size circles with a glass or cookie cutter and press into tart shells. Spoon 1 teaspoon jam into bottom of each shell.
• In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in rice flour and cocoa powder. Beat in eggs and 2 teaspoons almond extract. Fill tarts 2/3 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and filling is set. Allow to cool.
• In a small bowl, Stir together 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons butter and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Spread on tarts. Garnish each tart with a maraschino cherry.

CRANBERRY ALMOND CROSTATA

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Pulse almonds with 1/4 cup flour until finely ground (be careful not to grind to a paste).
• Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon beaten egg, chilled, for egg wash and beat remaining egg into butter mixture, then add vanilla and almond extracts, beating well. At low speed, mix in almond mixture, zest, salt, and remaining 1 3/4 cups flour until mixture just forms a dough.
• Halve dough and form each half into a 5- to 6-inch disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Make filling:
• Bring cranberries, orange juice, marmalade, brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy medium pot, stirring, then simmer, uncovered, until some of cranberries burst and mixture is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Cool filling quickly by spreading it in a shallow baking pan and chilling until lukewarm, about 15 minutes.
• Bake crostata:
• Preheat oven to 375°F with a foil-lined large baking sheet on middle rack. Generously butter springform pan.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough between sheets of parchment paper into a 12-inch round (dough will be very tender). Remove top sheet of paper and invert dough into springform pan. (Dough will tear easily but can be patched together with your fingers.) Press dough over bottom and up side of pan, trimming dough to reach 1/2 inch up side of pan. Chill shell.
• Roll out remaining dough into a 12-inch round in same manner. Remove top sheet of paper, then cut dough into 10 (1/3-inch-wide) strips with pastry wheel and slide (still on wax paper) onto a tray. Freeze strips until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Spread filling in chilled shell and arrange 5 strips 1 inch apart on filling. Arrange remaining 5 strips 1 inch apart diagonally across first strips to form a lattice with diamond-shaped spaces. Trim edges of all strips flush with edge of shell. Brush lattice top with reserved beaten egg and sprinkle crostata with granulated sugar.
• Bake crostata in pan on hot baking sheet until pastry is golden and filling is bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes. (If pastry is too brown after 30 minutes, loosely cover crostata with foil.) Cool crostata completely in pan on a rack, 1 1/2 to 2 hours (to allow juices to thicken).

ALMOND TART--CROSTATA DI MANDORLE

Steps:

• Roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick on a floured surface.
• Fit it into a 9 inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim, and crimp the edge.
• Chill the shell for 30 minutes.
• Spread the jam on the bottom of the shell.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs until they are foamy and beat in the granulated sugar gradually.
• Crumble the almond paste into the egg mixture, and beat until it is combined well.
• Fold in the flour gently but throughly.
• Spread the mixture evenly over the jam and sprinkle it with the almonds.
• Bake the tart in the lower third of a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until it is golden and firm in the center.
• Let it cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.
• Remove the rim, let the tart cool completely on the rack, and dust with confectioners sugar.

ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Take 2/3s of the puff pastry and roll out thinly to line a buttered 10 inch quiche dish or tart pan, allowing a 1 inch overhang all around.
• Roll out the remainder of the pastry slightly thicker and cut into strips that are ½ inch wide and set aside.
• Cream the butter with the sugar.
• Add 1 egg and beat well.
• Add 1 tblsp of the flour.
• Add second egg and beat well.
• Mix the almond extract with the milk and add it to the batter along with remaining flour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Spread jam on the pastry in dish to within 1 inch of the rim.
• Sprinkle the grated almond paste on top.
• Cover with the batter using a spatula, being very careful not to disturb filling Make a lattice with the pastry strips over the top and crimp the edges, turning in the overhang of pastry to form a rim.
• Crimp.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350F and bake 15 minutes longer.

ITALIAN ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Fold the dough round in half and carefully transfer to a 9 1/2-inch tart pan, preferably with a removable bottom. Unfold and ease the round into the pan, without stretching it, and pat it firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim off any excess dough by gently running a rolling pin across the top of the pan. Press the dough into the sides to extend it slightly above the rim to offset any shrinkage during baking.
• Refrigerate or freeze the tart shell until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 375°F
• Line the pastry shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or raw short-grain rice. Bake for 20 minutes, then lift an edge of the foil. If the dough looks wet, continue to bake, checking every 5 minutes, until the dough is pale gold, for a total baking time of 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.
• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and reduce the heat to 350°F
• In a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed or a whisk, beat the butter until smooth. Add the almond paste, one piece at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. While continuing to beat, sprinkle in the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the flour.
• Spread the jam evenly over the bottom of the partially baked tart shell. Spoon in the almond paste mixture and spread evenly over the jam. Sprinkle the surface evenly with the sliced almonds.
• Bake the tart until the filling is golden and the middle is firm to the touch, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the tart cool completely. If using a tart pan with a removable bottom, let the sides fall away, then slide the tart onto a serving plate. Serve at room temperature. Makes one 9 1/2-inch tart; serves 8.

ALMOND TART FROM ANDRIA

Steps:

• Make the tart dough at least 6 hours before rolling it (preferably longer). Put the flour, salt, and sugar into the bowl of the food processor. Process for a few seconds to mix the dry ingredients. Drop the cut-up butter on top of the flour, and pulse the machine in a dozen or more short bursts, until the mixture is crumbly with only small bits of butter visible.
• Pour the egg yolks over the crumbs, and pulse in bursts for about 5 seconds total, to moisten the dough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of ice water on the dough, and pulse again for a few seconds. The dough should begin to clump together but won't form a solid mass.
• Scrape it all out onto a board; gather and press the clumps into a firm ball. If it's dry and crumbles apart, sprinkle more ice water over the dough and knead gently. When the dough sticks together, flatten it into a disk, wrap well in plastic, and refrigerate for 6 hours or up to a day before rolling; freeze the dough for longer keeping.
• When you're ready to roll the dough and fill the tart, preheat your oven to 350˚, with a rack set in the center. Place a baking stone on the rack if you have one.
• Cut off a third of the dough in a single piece for the lattice top; keep it chilled.
• Place the larger piece of dough between two sheets of parchment, and roll it out to an even round, 11 inches in diameter. Peel off the top sheet of parchment, invert the circle over the tart pan, and peel off the remaining sheet. Press the dough gently down into the pan so it covers the bottom and lines the sides. Trim the edges of the dough round so it is even with the pan rim. With your fingers, form an even wall all the way around. Use scraps of dough to fill cracks or thin spots on the bottom or sides. Put the lined tart pan in the refrigerator.
• Now roll the smaller piece of dough between the parchment sheets to a 10-inch round. Remove the top parchment sheet, and cut the dough in 1-inch-wide strips with a pastry cutter or sharp knife. Leave the strips in place on the parchment sheet, and refrigerate them while you make the filling.
• Put the egg whites with the pinch of salt in the bowl of the electric mixer, and start whisking at medium speed. When the whites are frothy, pour in the sugar gradually, and raise the speed as the whites expand and thicken. When all the sugar has been incorporated, drop in the lemon zest, and continue whipping until the whites are very light, smooth, and glossy. Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top, a handful at a time, and fold in gently with a spatula so they are evenly dispersed.
• Take the pastry-lined tart pan and lattice strips from the refrigerator. Scrape the filling into the pastry shell, and spread it evenly.
• To form the lattice top, lay half the strips right over the filling, parallel and spaced about an inch apart. Lay the other strips diagonally across the first set, covering the entire top of the tart in an even pattern-cutting the strips or piecing them together to make different lengths. When they're all arranged, press and pinch the ends of the strips securely into the top rim of dough in the pan.
• Bake the tart-on a stone, if you have one-for about 45 minutes, or until the filling has risen and dried and appears firm and lightly browned in the lattice. The dough strips and rim should be golden brown.
• Cool the tart on a wire rack. When the crust has contracted a bit, slip off the fluted side ring. When it is completely cool, transfer the tart to a serving plate, if you wish, by sliding a long wide spatula (or two spatulas) under the pastry bottom and lifting the tart off the metal disk. Cut it in wedges, and serve.