| 1 | Note: this elegant tart with sugared-flower 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. |
| 2 | Several hours or day before, prepare sugared flowers, petals, or leaves. |
| 3 | At least 45 minutes before, prepare pastry. |
| 4 | Heat oven to 375°F. |
| 5 | On floured surface, roll out pastry to 11 -inch round. |
| 6 | Fit pastry into 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. |
| 7 | Line pastry shell with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or beans. |
| 8 | Bake 10 minutes. |
| 9 | Remove foil and weights; bake shell 10 minutes longer. |
| 10 | Set aside. |
| 11 | If making for display, cool and fill with sugared flowers. |
| 12 | Petals, or leaves at this point. |
| 13 | In food processor fitted with chopping blade, grind 1 c almonds with the sugar until very fine. |
| 14 | In large bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and almond-sugar mixture until combined. |
| 15 | Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. |
| 16 | Stir in flour and almond extract just until combined and stiff batter forms. |
| 17 | Sprinkle remaining ?c almonds over bottom of tart shell. |
| 18 | Gently pour batter over almonds. |
| 19 | Bake tart 20 minutes or until golden. |
| 20 | Cool completely on wire rack. |
| 21 | Remove tart from pan; place on serving platter and top with sugared flowers, petals, or leaves. |
| 22 | Cut into 10 wedges to serve. |
| 23 | Pastry: in medium-size bowl, combine 1 ?c unsifted all-purpose flour and ?t salt. |
| 24 | With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in 6 ?t butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. |
| 25 | 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. |
| 26 | Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes. |
| 27 | Country living holidays/1994 scanned & edited by di pahl & |
