jammy almond crumb bars

we live 

in the country

not the county of estates and tag sales

but the country

of 

pastures and dairy sheep

so when

someone stops by

we wave them in

take their coat

and 

sit them down with a

hot cup of coffee and a sweet

these bars are a twist on the common crumble bar

i use whatever jam i have on hand

{usually something not too sweet loaded with bits of fruit}

the twist comes in the form of almond paste

it finds its way into these cookies

at every bite

jammy almond crumb bars

(printable recipe)

2 sticks unsalted butter--room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

7 oz almond paste (divided)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3/4 cup high quality-not too sweet jam (ollalaberry, raspberry, blackberry, fruits of the forest, etc)

1/4 cup toasted pistachio nuts

place sugar, flour and 1/3 of the almond paste in a bowl.  by hand, work in the almond paste so that it is in small bits throughout the flour.  Add the butter and work by hand until you get a crumble that will stick when pressed together.

press about 2/3 of the dough into the bottom and up the sides of  a 9"x9"  fluted tart pan*. take remaining almond paste and lightly press a thin layer on top of the crust.  you may not use all of the paste. spread evenly with jam.  

Mix the pistachio nuts in with remaining dough.  Evenly distribute remaining dough by crumbling on top of jam.  (i like a thick layer of topping)

Bake at 350 for approximately 40-45 minutes. you want the crust and crumble to be slightly colored, but not over-browned.

*if you do not have a fluted tart pan, this works fine in a standard 9x9 cake pan, just be sure to bring the crust 1/4-1/2"  up the sides.

cherry frangipani tart

we went cherry pickin' this week

and the whole time

all i could think about 

was

my corporate days

when i said things like

"don't cherry pick the good deals"

&

"let's start with the low hanging fruit"

thinking 

everyone would understand the analogy

 not fully realizing until in the orchard

how

much more relevant

the statement is

when you are

 actually

cherry picking, the low hanging fruit

especially

when you are

only

5

feet

tall

i love

frangipani

which is an almond paste

custard of sorts

cherries

&

almond

are a delicious combination 

cherry frangipani tart

(printable recipe)

1 pie crust for 10" tart pan

8 oz almond paste

1.5 oz sugar

3.5 oz butter (softened, but still slightly firm)

3/4 oz all purpose flour

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

4 extra-large eggs ( room temperature)

3 cups pitted sweet cherries (fresh or frozen)

line a 10" tart pan with crust.  refrigerate while you make the filling.  preheat oven to 350F.  using a mixer with paddle attachment, beat the almond paste and sugar.  gradually add in the butter in large pieces until fully incorporated.  add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition.  stop the mixer and scrape down the sides as you go.  after all eggs are incorported, beat for 30 seconds on high speed.  add vanilla.  stir in the flour and salt until just incorporated.  pour into the tart shell.  working from the outside in, place cherries in the almond custard in concentric circles, close together, but not touching.  place tart on baking tin and bake for approximately 50-60 minutes.  the frangipani will rise and brown, but should not souffle.  it is done when just firm to the touch and the crust is slightly golden.


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