Just made some awesome almond tarts. Took awhile but it was all worth it. The burns on my upper mouth is the proof of how good it was.
For this recipe, I took some almonds and toasted them on a pan on low heat. They came out softer so it was easier for me chop them up. I had already made the crust the night before because I used some to make quiche under my little brother's orders. The crust recipe comes from my little brother's My First Cook Book.
Simple Pastry dough
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 stick of butter
2 tbsp sugar (for sweet tarts/optional)
3 tbsp cold water
a pinch of salt
Take your room temperature butter and just roughly cut it into cubes. Throw in the flour and salt. Using your fingers, rub the flour and butter together with your fingertips until they look like breadcrumbs. Add sugar. Add the water a little at a time until you have a soft ball of dough that leaves the sides of the bowl clean. This shouldn't take that long to make. In fact, keep in mind that you want balls of butter wrapped in flour because you want a flaky crust. Put this dough in the fridge for a good hour or so but you can also just use it at that moment. If not, wrap in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge until needed. .
Almond tart filling
5 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp fine salt
2 cups chopped toasted almonds
2 tbsp bourbon/whiskey
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Melt the butter and add the sugar, corn syrup and salt on medium heat. Constantly stir for about 2 minutes or until the sugar is melted. Let it cool for about 3 minutes and add the nuts. Once cool, add the whiskey, vanilla and eggs and mix until fully incorporated.
Preheat your oven at 350* F.
Once you have your dough and the mixture ready, take the dough and on a well floured surface flatten it out and form some circles. I used the mouth of a glass. Anyways, the size of the cut outs of your dough will depend on how big your tart tins are. As for my tarts, I'm using mini cupcake tins. Place the dough in the pan and fill it with your filling.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling has set. Enjoy...
