Gingered Almond Truffle Tart Recipes

ARMAGNAC CHOCOLATE ALMOND TART

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix flour, ground almonds, sugar and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; press onto bottom and up sides of an ungreased 9-in. tart pan with removable bottom. Place on a baking sheet. For filling, sprinkle slivered almonds over crust. In top of a double boiler or a metal bowl over hot water, melt butter and chocolate; stir until smooth. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in golden syrup, Armagnac, vanilla and salt until well blended. Gradually beat in chocolate mixture. Slowly spoon filling over almonds. Bake until set, 35-40 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.,

GINGER AND ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line the pan with baking parchment, letting the parchment hang over the sides. (This will make it easier to remove the dessert once baked.)
• Prepare the base:
• In the saucepan, melt the butter. Add the almond meal, fresh ginger, honey, egg, salt, and vanilla. Stir until well combined. The mixture should be thick and sticky.
• Turn the mixture out into the prepared pan. To help make a level and even base, place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the base. Using a flat-bottomed glass (or your fingers), smooth out the base by pressing gently to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. Remove and discard the plastic wrap. Bake until the base is slightly firm, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the topping:
• In the same saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the almonds, candied ginger, honey, salt, and vanilla. Stir just until the ingredients are incorporated.
• When the base is baked, spread the topping evenly over the base and bake until the topping is dark and sizzling, 12 to 15 minutes. Do not underbake.
• Transfer the pan to the baking rack to cool. When the dessert is completely cool, remove it from the pan using the overhanging parchment as handles and cut it into 16 even squares.
• Do Ahead
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
• Variation:
• Chestnut Honey Squares: For the base, replace 1 cup (90g) almond meal with 3/4 cup (120 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour and use a strong honey, such as chestnut, in place of the mild honey. For the topping, replace the candied ginger with organic candied orange or lemon peel, cut into tiny cubes.

ALMOND TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut a piece of wax or parchment paper to fit the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan. Coat pan with nonstick spray, place prepared paper round in bottom of pan, and spray paper. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 cup almonds.
• In a food processor, process remaining 1 1/2 cups almonds with 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar until finely ground; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites with salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons of confectioners' sugar and beat until stiff glossy peaks form. Beat in almond extract. In three additions, gently fold in ground almond mixture.
• Evenly spread batter into prepared pan, tapping pan on counter to expel large air bubbles. Bake until golden brown and firm in center, 40 to 45 minutes; cool completely in pan. Invert onto serving plate, and remove wax or parchment paper.

APPLE ALMOND TART WITH GINGERED STREUSEL TOPPING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons butter (keep remaining butter cool) and 2 tablespoons sugar. When mixture starts to darken, add apples and ginger slices, and toss to coat. Sauté until apples begin to color lightly and juice has cooked down to a sauce, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool.
• In an 9-inch round straight-sided nonstick or glass cake pan, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Gently mix ingredients with fingers and make a well in center. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk and almond extract. Pour oil mixture into well, and mix with a fork just enough to dampen. Using your fingertips, pat out dough so it covers bottom of pan and comes up sides about 1/2 inch (pastry should be about 1/8 inch thick). Place in refrigerator until needed.
• Make streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and crystallized ginger. Cut in remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter.
• Lay apples in a fanned circle in pastry-lined pan. Tuck in slices of ginger so they do not burn. Pour over any excess juices, and sprinkle streusel over top. Bake until slightly browned, about 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

TRIPLE BERRY LINZER TART

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and citrus zests; mix well. Combine the flour, nuts, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and cloves; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix just until moistened., Divide dough in half and flatten each into a thick rectangle. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight., Press one portion of dough onto the bottom and up the sides of a lightly greased 14x4-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Cover and refrigerate for about 10 minutes., Combine preserves and lemon juice; spread over crust. Roll remaining dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Make a lattice crust. Trim edges., Bake at 350° for 30-35 min. or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving if desired., ,