Recipe - Les Mendiants (Lemon Cream And Nut Cookies)

TORTE PASTRY
10 One half ounce Unsalted butter, melted
1 2/3 cup Confectioners' sugar
2 lg Eggs
3 Three fourths cup Flour, sifted

LEMON CREAM
3 Eggs
1 2/3 cup Sugar
11 ounce Unsalted butter, softened
3 Lemons, juiced and zests
grated

TOPPING
35 Prunes, pitted and halved
3 ounce Whole almonds, toasted
3 ounce Hazelnuts, toasted
6 ounce Walnut halves
6 ounce Raisins, soaked in rum until
plump, and drained
70 1inch pieces candied
orange peel

The colors the fruits used in the cookies suggest those of the robes forn
by the four ordres mendiants, monastic orders that originally lived on
charity the Augustinians, Carmelites, Dominicans and Franciscans.

Torte Pastry: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, cream
together butter and sugar until light. In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg. Pour
One half of the whisked egg into butter and sugar mixture, reserving the
remaining half for another use. Add the remaining whole egg and blend
mixture well. Remove paddle and replace with a dough hook. Add flour,
mixing thoroughly. Form dough into a ball, wrap in waxed paper and
refrigerate 2 hours.

Roll dough out to a thickness of slightly more than 1/8 inch. Cut dough
into 35 1 1/2inch ovals with pointed ends and place on ungreased cookie
sheets. Bake in a preheated 350F oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until cookies
are a light caramel color. Lemon Cream: In a small saucepan over
mediumhigh heat combine eggs, sugar, butter, lemon juice and lemon zest.
Bring mixture to a goil, stirring continually with a wooden spoon. Boil
gently for 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to a bowl, cover and chill
thoroughly. Assemble: Spread each cookie with 1 heaping tablespoon of lemon
cream and top with 2 prun halves, 2 almonds, 2 hazelnuts, 2 walnut halves,
7 raisins and 2 pieces candied orange peel. Makes approximately 35 cookies.

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