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Strawberry Marzipan Tart One of the advantages of serving a tart is that you do all the work
in advance. This is a simple tart, easy to make, even the kids can get
involved! It’s a creamy, fruity, delicious dessert with a great almond
flavor. I like to serve a tart like this with coffee and a liqueur.
Amaretto di Saronno or Frangelica are both perfect. Of course
there’s nothing to stop you getting out one of your precious old
Sauternes or a Vintage Port.
Makes one 10-inch tart
INGREDIENTS
1/3 recipe sugar dough (see separate recipe, page 17)
1/2 pound unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
Zest of 2 oranges, finely grated
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups ground almonds
1/4 cup currant jelly, melted
2 baskets strawberries, sliced 1/4-inch thick
METHOD
1Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2On a floured surface, roll the pastry 3/8-inch thick and line a 10-inch
flan ring with it. Place the ring on a parchment paper lined baking
sheet and chill it until needed.
3Cream the butter and sugar lightly in an electric mixer; don’t let the
butter get too soft. Add the eggs and mix lightly.
4Stir in the liqueur, zest and almond extract, then mix in the ground
almonds.
5Pour into the chilled pastry shell and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15
minutes, or until the pastry and marzipan are a deep golden brown.
6Remove the tart from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
7Brush the top of the tart with the currant jelly. Cover the top of the
tart with sliced strawberries arranged in concentric circles or in a
flower petal design, making certain the whole top of the tart is
covered.
8Remove the flan ring and transfer the tart to a flat serving platter.
Cut into wedges.
Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck
15
Black Pepper SconesI love the flavor of fresh black pepper in scones. But, if you prefer,
1 cup of dried blueberries, sour cherries or raisins can be used
instead of the pepper to make a fruitier, sweeter scone.
Makes 18 scones
INGREDIENTS
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
13 tablespoons (6 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter,
cut into small pieces and chilled
1 1/2 tablespoons medium grind black pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon peel
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, plus 2 tablespoons for brushing
METHOD
1Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and
salt. Using two knives or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the
mixture resembles coarse meal. Gently stir in the pepper and lemon
peel. Add the 1 1/2 cups cream all at once and mix until the dough
just comes together.
2Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough into a
ball. For a flakier consistency, do not knead the dough into a smooth
ball. If smooth, the scone will be more cakelike. Wrap in plastic wrap
and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
3Cut the dough into three equal pieces. Working with one piece at a
time, keeping the other two pieces covered, roll out to a circle, 6
inches in diameter and ?-inch thick (see note below). Cut the circle
into 6 wedges and arrange the wedges on one or two baking trays
lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough.
4Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly brush the scones with the
remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and bake until golden, about 10-12
minutes.
Note: The scones can be cut out with a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter if
desired. Roll out the dough, cut, and place on a baking tray. Reroll
the dough and continue cutting out circles. Proceed as in step 4.
5Serve warm with butter, and jam if you like.
Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck
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