Spanish Galician Almond Torte Torta De Almendras Santiago Recipes

SPANISH GALICIAN ALMOND TORTE (TORTA DE ALMENDRAS SANTIAGO)

Steps:

• Toast the almonds in a preheated 350 degrees oven until light golden brown. Process in a food processor until finely ground.
• Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour, ground almonds and lemon zest and stir just until mixed. Pour into a greased and floured springform pan and bake until a knife blade inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
• Cool for 15 minutes, then pour the lemon juice over the surface. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving. Serves 10 to 12.

TARTA DE SANTIAGO (GALICIAN ALMOND TART)

Steps:

• Beat together the egg, sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm water until light and creamy. Gradually fold in the flour until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl clean. For the filling, beat together the eggs and sugar until creamy. Fold in the lemon rind, ground almonds and cinnamon. Roll out the pastry to 1/8-inch thick on a floured work surface. Line a greased, loose-bottomed 10-inch tart pan with the pastry. Prick it all over with a fork and spoon the filling on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 355 degrees F for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Leave the almond tart to cool in the pan. Once cool, transfer it to a serving plate and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving. A St. James' cross template can be used, if liked.

TORTA DE SANTIAGO - ALMOND TORTE

Steps:

• Cream the sugar, lemon rind, and egg yolks until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in the almonds and cinnamon. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff, but not dry. Stir a few tablespoons of the egg white into the almond mixture, then fold in the rest of the egg whites. Pour into 2 greased 8 inch layer pans and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes or until the cakes are well browned. Cool briefly, then remove the cakes from the pans.
• To make topping, whip 1/2 pint of whipping cream, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon very strong brandy (optional) until stiff. Spread between the cake layers, then coat the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with chopped almonds.
• An alternative is to use the filling inside, then sprinkle the top with powdered sugar after placing a 4" Cross of Santiago in the center. The end result is a brown cross on a field of powdered sugar.

ALMOND TART (TARTA DE ALMENDRAS)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 10-inch pie plate.
• In a blender, blend the sugar and lemon zest until they are well mixed. Add the almonds, and blend again until the almonds are ground fine. Add the eggs, egg yolks, and butter, and blend until all the contents are well mixed. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
• Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Scrape the batter into the pan, and smooth the top. Bake the tart on the center rack of the oven for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean but the tart is still moist. Let it cool on a wire rack.
• Spoon Sweet Basque Cream onto each plate, and set a tart wedge on top. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, and serve.
• Note: Almonds, easy to find in any supermarket, are most commonly sold raw or blanched. Buy raw almonds, if possible. Because you will be grinding the nuts, it doesn't matter whether they're whole or sliced when you buy them.