Fig and Almond Cream Tart with Quince glaze

Drove by a huge fig tree and had to take some- they were perfectly ripe! I decided to make a tart because I have a delicious recipe for almond cream and some left over almond meal. The almonds and figs are a great match! It's so sweet that a bit of lemon juice does a lot of good by adding a bit of acid/tartness. The quince glaze was a good last minute decision. The other day my sister and I utilized her neighbors quince tree and made some jelly- turned out really nice. 

With a bit of planning, this tart was a nice bake. Aren't the colors beautiful?!

Tart Dough
From A little taste of France- thanks Jamie!

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
5 1/2 oz unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1 egg yolk
pinch of salt

Sift flour and salt into a large bowl, rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and 2-3 tsp cold water, mix till it all comes together. Shape the dough in a disc, wrap in plastic and refridgerate for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to use, roll out the pastry into a circle on a lightly floured surface, fit to tart pan. Trim the edges by pinching off the dough. Before baking, let rest in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.

Almond Cream

3 oz butter, room temperature
3 oz granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 oz almond meal
1 oz flour
juice from half a lemon

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla a little at a time, beating with every addition. Stir in almond meal and flour.

Assembly:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Slice enough figs to cover the tart.
Spread the almond cream on the dough prepared in the tart tin. Bake for 25 minutes, the almond cream should have risen and be lightly golden. After the the first bake, take out the tart and quickly arrange the figs on the tart. I glazed it with homemade quince jelly- any jelly will do. Just dilute it with a bit of water and brush it onto the figs.
Bake again for another 15 minutes or until the edges of the dough are golden brown and enjoy!

Raspberry Almond Tartlets and Nordic Bakery Cookbook

One of my dreams finally came true... I found a delicious Scandinavian cookbook! After falling in love with Stockholm a few summers ago, I was in dire need of a cookbook focusing on Scandinavian baked goods. Nordic Bakery Cookbook is the one. From breads to tarts to cookies, this book covers the best of the Nordic Sea. 

 

I had all the ingredients in my kitchen for the almond and raspberry tartlets so I gave it a try. All I have to say is that they turned out so cute and delicious! If you love almonds, this ones from you!

1 stick butter, melted

2 Tbl cream

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup cornmeal

6 Tbl all-purpose flour

1 cup ground almonds/almond meal

1 tsp almond extract

-Preheat the oven to 350

-Put the melted butter and cream in a small bowl and mix.

-Whisk the sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy, then add to the melted butter.

-In a separate bowl, mix the baking powder, cornmeal and flour together. Fold into the sugar mixture, along with the ground almonds and almond extract, until well combined.

-Spoon a little of the mixture onto the muffin pan cups, just to cover the bottom. Then add three raspberries and top with the rest of the mixture so that the muffin pan cups are three-quarters full. Save remaining raspberries for topping.

-Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and risen. Let cool for ten minutes before removing from the muffins tin- they can easily fall apart if not cooled. Then let cool before decorating.
-To make frosting mix together 3 Tbl powdered sugar and 2 tsp water. Drizzle the frosting over the tartlets or dip into frosting. Top off with the leftover raspberries.

Buttery Almond Cookies

A simple and tasty recipe from my very first cookbook given to me for my 11th birthday!

1 cup butter (2 sticks) at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped almonds or whatever nuts you have handy

Using an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla. Mix until creamed together; scrape sides. Add flour and nuts and continue mixing until the dough looks like moist pebbles.

Gently squeeze the dough together with your hands; when it comes together place it on a large piece of plastic wrap. Using your hands shape the dough into a log 10' long, two inches in diameter. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, around three hours.

Preheat the oven to 350'F and line three baking sheets with foil.

Unwrap the dough and cut slices 1/4' thick. Place on the baking sheets about an inch apart (they spreed a bit). Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 14-16 minutes. When they're done place them on a rack to cool completely. Repeat for the other baking sheets.

Makes about 40 cookies