Recipe - Flower Tart

Sugared Flowers, Petals, or
Leaves (separate recipe)
Pastry (recipe follows)
1 One half cup Slivered blanched almonds,
toasted
One half cup Sugar
One half cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 lg Eggs
One fourth cup Unsifted allpurpose flour
1 teaspoon Almond extract

NOTE: This elegant tart with sugaredflower topping can be made with an
almond filling for a spectacular holiday dessert or without the filling for
a table or sideboard holiday display that will last several days.

1. Several hours or day before, prepare Sugared Flowers, Petals, or Leaves.
At least 45 minutes before, prepare Pastry.

2. Heat oven to 375'F. On floured surface, roll out pastry to 11 inch
round. Fit pastry into 9inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Line
pastry shell with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake 10
minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake shell 10 minutes longer. Set aside.
If making for display, cool and fill with Sugared Flowers. Petals, or
Leaves at this point.

3. In food processor fitted with chopping blade, grind 1 C almonds with the
sugar until very fine.

4. In large bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and
almondsugar mixture until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well
after each addition. Stir in flour and almond extract just until combined
and stiff batter forms.

5. Sprinkle remaining One half C almonds over bottom of tart shell. Gently pour
batter over almonds.

6. Bake tart 20 minutes or until golden. Cool completely on wire rack.
Remove tart from pan; place on serving platter and top with Sugared
Flowers, Petals, or Leaves. Cut into 10 wedges to serve. Pastry: In
mediumsize bowl, combine 1 One fourth C unsifted allpurpose flour and One fourth t
salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in 6 One half T butter until mixture
resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 2 to 3 T cold water, 1 T at a time, over
flour mixture and mix lightly with fork until pastry is moist enough to
press into a ball. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Country Living Holidays/1994 Scanned & edited by Di Pahl & gg

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini