Almond Tarts Recipes

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.

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.

CHERRY & ALMOND TARTS

Steps:

• Very thinly roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Stamp out 12 x 9cm circles with a fluted cutter, if you have one, and use to line a bun tin. Spread 1 rounded tsp of the cherry jam in the bottom of each tart.
• Whizz the cake to crumbs in a food processor, then tip into a mixing bowl and add the flour, butter, ground almonds, caster sugar, eggs and almond extract. Beat together until smooth, then divide between the tarts, spreading a little with the back of a teaspoon to cover the jam. Scatter over the flaked almonds and openfreeze for 2 hrs, then wrap well in cling film and freeze for up to 2 months.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 with a baking sheet in it. Unwrap the tarts from the freezer and loosely top with a sheet of foil. Bake on the heated baking sheet for 30-40 mins until golden, removing the foil halfway. Cool the tarts a little, then add a splash of water into the icing sugar to make a runny icing. Drizzle over the tarts and leave to set.
• Very thinly roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Stamp out 12 x 9cm circles with a fluted cutter, if you have one, and use to line a bun tin. Spread 1 rounded tsp of the cherry jam in the bottom of each tart.
• Whizz the cake to crumbs in a food processor, then tip into a mixing bowl and add the flour, butter, ground almonds, caster sugar, eggs and almond extract. Beat together until smooth, then divide between the tarts, spreading a little with the back of a teaspoon to cover the jam. Scatter over the flaked almonds and openfreeze for 2 hrs, then wrap well in cling film and freeze for up to 2 months.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 with a baking sheet in it. Unwrap the tarts from the freezer and loosely top with a sheet of foil. Bake on the heated baking sheet for 30-40 mins until golden, removing the foil halfway. Cool the tarts a little, then add a splash of water into the icing sugar to make a runny icing. Drizzle over the tarts and leave to set.

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.

DZIRIAT (ALGERIAN ALMOND TARTS)

Steps:

• Prepare the almonds the day before. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Remove from heat, and add the almonds. Let the almonds soak in water for about 5 minutes, then drain and peel. Spread the almonds on baking sheets, and bake at 200 degrees F(95 degrees C) until completely dry and toasted. This takes several hours, and needs to be prepared ahead. Be careful not to burn the nuts, as this will give a bitter taste to the filling.
• Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice, reduce heat to low, and let it simmer until syrupy, about 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in orange blossom water, and remove from heat. Set sugar syrup aside.
• Combine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a hole in the center, and pour oil, egg, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon orange blossom water into the center. Mix with fingers until the dough resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually sprinkle with warm water while mixing until the dough becomes soft and pliable. Divide into 4 equal portions. Cover dough with a wet cloth, and set aside.
• In a food processor, finely grind the almonds. Measure 3 cups of the finely ground almonds into a mixing bowl, and stir together with 1 cup sugar, baking powder, vanilla powder, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons orange flower water. Mix in three eggs one at a time, stirring constantly; mix until you get a sticky, paste-like mixture.
• Sprinkle cornstarch on the rolling surface to prevent sticking. Roll each portion of dough very thinly, 1 to 2 millimeters (1/16 inch). Cut the rolled dough into circles of about 10 centimeters (4 inches) in diameter each. Lightly wipe the surface of each circle with cornstarch, and fit into a tart mold, cornstarch side down to prevent sticking. Gently press the dough onto the sides and bottom of the mold, and trim extra dough from around the rim. Fill three quarters of each mold with the almond filling.
• Bake on the top shelf at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the surface of the tart is golden and the dough is firm. Remove the tarts from the molds as soon as they come out of the oven. Dip each tart in the sugar syrup while still hot. Stick a pine nut into the middle of each tart for decoration. Place on a wire rack to drain.

MINIATURE ALMOND TARTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add flour until well blended. Refrigerate for 1 hour. , Shape into 1-in. balls. Place in ungreased miniature muffin cups; press onto the bottom and up the sides to form a shell. , For filling, in a small bowl, beat the almond paste, eggs and sugar until blended. Fill each shell with about 1-1/2 teaspoons filling., Bake at 325° for 25-30 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. , For frosting, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Pipe or spread over tarts. Top each with a cherry half.

ALMOND TARTS

Steps:

• For dough: Beat the butter, sugars, and salt until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well. Stir in the flour until well blended, then refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes or longer.
• Shaping: Place a rounded teaspoon of dough (about 1/2 oz.)into each ungreased mini-muffin cup. With floured fingers or a tart tamper, press the dough up the sides of the cups to form the floor and walls of the crust. Place the crusts in the refrigerator to chill while preparing the filling.
• Filling: Crumble the almond paste into a small bowl. Blend in the sugar, salt and extract(s). Add one egg at a time to the almond paste, mixing well after each addition until there are no lumps.
• Assembly and Baking: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a slightly rounded 1/4 teaspoon of the raspberry jam into each dough-filled cup. Top with almond filling. The almond filling should come to the top of the dough. Bake the tarts for 24 to 28 minutes, until they're puffed and golden brown. Allow the tarts to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning them out to cool completely. While they cool, make the glaze.
• Glaze: In a small bowl, mix the confectioners' sugar with the water until dissolved. Add the food coloring, if you're using it. Drizzle the glaze over the tarts. The tarts store well for 3 - 4 days in airtight containers; freeze them for longer storage.

ALMOND TARTS

Steps:

• For the shells: Pulse together the granulated sugar, flour and salt in a food processor to combine. Add the butter and continue to pulse until mealy. Add the egg yolks (reserve the egg whites for the filling) and pulse until the dough comes together. Press the dough into a disc, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to overnight.
• To mold the shells, grease a muffin tin with nonstick spray. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/4-inch-thick, dusting with more flour as needed. Cut out 3-inch circles and press them into the muffin cups so that the dough comes all the way up the sides. (No worries if the dough tears; just patch it up with additional dough.) Freeze the shells for 15 minutes.
• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the almond meal, granulated sugar, salt, and butter, either by blending it in the food processor (no need to clean it out after making the dough, you can just use it immediately for this step), or by stirring it together in a large bowl (I find it's easiest to get in there with my hands). Add the almond extract, egg and the reserved egg whites from the shells, and continue to blend/stir until smooth and combined.
• Fill the frozen shells with the filling so that it comes up about 1/4-inch from the top. Bake until the tops and edges are lightly browned; begin checking for doneness at 30 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then use a small offset spatula or a knife to remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the glaze: If making the glaze with heavy cream, combine the powdered sugar, heavy cream and almond extract in a bowl until smooth. Add additional powdered sugar or liquid to thicken it up or thin it out so that you get the consistency of a thick glue.
• To make the glaze with the raspberries, place the raspberries in a fine-mesh sieve and give them a rinse. Place the sieve over a bowl and use a stiff rubber spatula or wooden spoon to smash them through the sieve into the bowl until you're just left with seeds in the sieve. Be sure to scrape the underside of the sieve to get the stuff that's sticking to it. (You should be left with about 2 tablespoons seedless puree. If it's a tiny bit more or a tiny bit less, that's fine.) Add the powdered sugar and almond extract and mix to make a thick glaze. If it's too thick, add a few drops of water to thin it out, and if it's too thin, add a few more spoonfuls of powdered sugar. It should be the consistency of a thick glue.
• Spread the glaze over the cooled tarts and decorate with sprinkles, almonds and anything else you'd like! These will keep for several days at room temperature or in the fridge.

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.

ROSEMARY-HONEY ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: Generously butter a 10-inch round (3/4- to 1-inch deep) fluted tart pan. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, lemon zest and salt. Working quickly, rub or cut the cold butter into the dry mixture using your fingers or a pastry cutter until the pieces are the size of small pebbles. (Alternatively, use a food processor to pulse the dry ingredients with the butter.) Add the egg yolks and the cold water. Using your hands, combine just until the dough comes together in clumps. Gather dough into a ball; flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes or up to 1 week (see Tip).
• While the dough chills, prepare the filling: In a small pot set over medium-low, combine the honey, rosemary sprigs, sugar, butter and salt. Stir frequently until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool for at least 10 minutes. Whisk the egg, yolks and cream in a liquid measuring cup. Remove the rosemary sprigs from the honey and whisk the egg mixture into the honey mixture until fully blended. Stir in the almonds. The filling can be covered and refrigerated for up to a week (see Tip).
• Using a floured rolling pin, roll out chilled dough between two sheets of parchment paper or on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch round. To transfer to the tart pan, roll the dough around the rolling pin, then unroll it over the pan without stretching it. Gently press the dough into the fluted sides and, using a pair of kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, trim any overhang to 1/4 inch above the pan. Refrigerate the tart shell until firm, at least 20 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees while the dough chills.
• Line the tart dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust is lightly browned along the edges and beginning to firm up, about 18 minutes. Remove the pie weights and parchment and bake for another 5 minutes to lightly brown the edges. Press down the bottom surface with the back of a spoon if the crust bubbles. Allow the crust to cool completely before filling. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Place the tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet and carefully pour the filling into the cooled tart shell. Bake until the filling is set, deep golden brown and jiggles slowly when the pan is moved back and forth, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the tart completely before slicing. The tart will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days, or can be cooled, wrapped and frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost before serving.

FRESH BERRY & ALMOND TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, unroll pastry sheets. Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut each with a floured 3-in. cookie cutter to make eight circles or other shapes. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets; prick holes in pastries with a fork., Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and almond extract until blended. Spread over cooled pastries. Top with berries, pressing lightly to adhere. Sprinkle with almonds and, if desired, confectioners' sugar. Refrigerate leftovers.

ALMOND TARTS

Steps:

• To make two crusts, in a large bowl, combine the sugar and flour.
• Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture has the texture of coarse meal.
• Using a fork, toss the mixture while adding the water, almond and vanilla extracts. Toss just until the pastry holds together.
• Divide the pastry in half and press into two nine-inch tart pans. Chill for one hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Bake the crusts for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Press down any crust that puffs up.
• To make the filling, in a large bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients. Let stand in a warm place for 20 minutes to dissolve the sugar.
• Pour the filling into the prepared crusts and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the tops brown and caramelize. Turn the tarts several times during baking to brown evenly.
• Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream, if desired.