Tarte De AmÊndoa Recipes

PORTUGUESE ALMOND TORTE (BOLO DE AMêNDOA)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F Grease a 10-inch springform pan with butter, line the bottom with parchment paper, and grease the paper. Coat the pan with flour and tap out the excess.
• Blend the almonds and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor until very, very fine. Keep blending till it has the consistancy of fine corn meal. Add the butter and pulse to combine. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the yolks on medium-high until very light and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Add the zest, salt, and cinnamon and mix until incorporated. Blend in the almond mixture and vanilla.
• In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy then slowly whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar until the whites form soft peaks. Add a big spoonful into the almond mixture and stir to lighten. Carefully fold in the remainder of the whites until no streaks show. Spoon the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
• Bake until the cake is golden brown and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let rest for 5 minutes before releasing the cake from the pan. Cool completely before serving. The middle will collapse some -- per Chef Leite, "that is as it should be"!

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.