Topping:
1/2 c. jam (I use raspberry but
black current or apricot would be nice too)
1 1/2 Tbls. brandy or liqueur
(optional)
9 Tbls. unsalted butter
9 Tbls. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2
heapingTbls. honey
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla
Few drops
fresh lemon juice
2 cups slicked blanched almonds (6 oz)
Cookie
Crust:
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
Pinch salt
Grated
peel of 2 oranges
1/2 cup lightly beaten egg (1 extra large egg or 1 large
egg plus 1 yolk)
2 Tbls. milk
2 tsp. pure vanilla
2 cups cake flour (6
oz)
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (6 oz)
Cookie Crust:
Cream
butter and sugar. Add salt and grated orange peel and beat till
fluffy. Beat in milk, egg and vanilla. Lower the speed -- add flours
and mix just until the flours are mixed in. Do not overmix or dough will
be tough. Dough should be soft, but not sticky. Gather dough
together, dust with flour, wrap and chill well. Let dough soften briefly
before rolling out.
Lightly butter 15 1/2 by 10 1/2" pan. Roll out
dough slightly larger than pan. Carefully transfer dough into pan,
allowing rough sides to hang over sides. Chill 20 min or more. (I
usually do not do all that rolling, instead I just put dough in pan and roll it
out as best I can and pat it out the rest of the way)
Preheat oven
to 400 degrees.
Trim edges of dough (unless you do my patting
thing). Prick the dough with a fork (all over!!). Bake until lightly
golden brown -- about 16 - 18 min, pricking any bubbles as they rise. Do
not overbake as the dough will be baked again. Cool
slightly.
Topping:
In a small bowl stir together the jam and
liqueur. Brush or spoon over the pastry in a thin layer. For the
remainder of the topping melt the 9 tbls of butter in medium, heavy
saucepan. Add sugar, salt and honey; cook over low heat, stirring until
sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium. Add cream; boil, stirring
until mixture is smooth and thickened. Remove from heat; add vanilla,
lemon juice and almonds. Stir.
Gently spread a smooth layer
of the topping mixture over the pastry. Bake until the top is golden
brown, 17 - 20 minutes.
Cool thoroughly on a wire rack. Cut
into bars or squares; trimming rough edges (which will be crispier). Save
edge pieces for snacking (they are yummy!)
To give as gifts, cool completely and then wrap in airtight
container with sheets of wax paper between the layers.
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