 makes about 40 cookies (2-1/2 inch size)
Note: Take the time to rub the orange zest and sugar together for a deeper orange flavor. If almonds aren't your favorite, feel free to swap walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts. The combination of small and large pieces add textural and visual interest to the cookies. Chill the logs minimum of 30 minutes before baking to prevent cookies from spreading. Each log yields 20 cookies; the recipe can easily be halved if you need fewer but well wrapped, the baked cookies freeze beautifully. 2 ounces/57 grams/½ stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1½ cups/295 grams granulated sugar zest from one large orange; approx. 1½ tablespoons 1 cup/128 grams all-purpose flour ¾ cup/76 grams medium or dark rye flour ¼ cup/34 grams stone-ground cornmeal ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking powder 2 large eggs, room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ cup/2½ ounces unblanched whole almonds (skin on) coarsely chopped ¾ cup/3 ounces unblanched sliced almonds ⅓ cup/2 ounces/56 grams candied ginger, diced ½ cup/95 grams/3½ ounces dried apricots, diced additional all-purpose flour for dusting egg wash made from 1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water Directions: Melt butter and set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, rub together orange zest with sugar. Combine dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, rye flour, cornmeal, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl; whisk together. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the eggs on low speed, gradually adding the orange sugar. Add the melted/cooled butter and vanilla, mixing until combined. With mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing only to blend. Add the whole and sliced almonds, candied ginger and dried apricots. Mixture will be thick and sticky. Use a flexible scraper to transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper dusted with all-purpose flour. Dust your hands with flour and gently fold in any fruit, ginger or nuts that need incorporating into the dough. Divide the dough in half; you can eyeball it but best to weigh it. Shape each portion of dough into a log measuring about 14 inches long by ¾-inches wide. (Some bakers like to use a little extra flour to shape the logs while others prefer to wet their hands with a little water and skip the flour. Totally up to you but take care not to add too much flour.) Transfer each log to a parchment lined baking sheet; you can fit both logs on a half sheet pan but make sure to leave about 2-inches of space between them. Brush logs with egg wash. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake on middle rack of oven for 25-28 minutes until lightly golden and centers feel set and not doughy. Transfer baking sheet to a cooling rack. Let mandelbrot cool about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F. The mandelbrot will be fragile; take care when transferring them, (one log at a time), to a cutting board. Use a long serrated knife to angle-cut each log into ½-inch thick slices. (The ends make a nice baker's snack.) A sawing motion is better than pressing straight down. Lay slices flat on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. (Cookies will continue to firm up as they cool so best not to over bake.) Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container layered between strips of parchment paper. Cookies will keep for up to 3 weeks in the airtight container at cool room temperature. For longer storage, best to freeze.
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 makes one 10-inch x 2-inch tart*
(if you don't have a 10-inch pan, you can use a 9-inch x 2-inch tart pan; you may have a splash of excess filling which you can bake in a ramekin as a baker’s treat…) For the crust: (the chocolate crust pictured was a one-off for a special order; this one is more of a pate sucrée) 4 ounces unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch cubes ¼ cup granulated sugar 1½ cups (7 ounces) all-purpose flour ⅛ teaspoon salt 1 large egg yolk 2 tablespoons heavy cream In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Using two knives or your fingers, cut the cold butter cubes into the dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and cream. Add the yolk/cream to the butter/dry ingredients, tossing with a fork until you can gather the mixture together and shape it into a disc. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes before rolling out. Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment circle to an ⅛-inch thickness, about 13-inches in diameter. Place your tart pan fitted with the removable bottom within reach. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and very lightly dust the dough and your rolling pin with flour. Roll the dough over your rolling pin, place the rolling pin at the far edge of the tart pan and carefully unroll the pin, draping the dough in the pan. Dust your fingers with flour and gently press the dough against the sides and along the bottom of the tart pan. Use your fingers to fold about ½ inch of overhang back over itself to allow for shrinkage while the tart bakes. Then run your rolling pin over the edge of the tart pan to trim the excess dough. Place the tart pan in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the frozen tart shell on a parchment lined baking sheet, line the shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until set. Carefully remove the parchment and pie weights, prick the shell lightly with a fork (to prevent puffing up) and continue baking 10 to 15 minutes more until the shell is lightly golden and no longer raw on the bottom. Set aside on a cooling rack while you prepare the filling. For the filling: ½ cup fresh passion fruit puree, unsweetened* (strain to remove the seeds but save them for garnish) ¼ cup strained lemon juice ¼ cup strained lime juice 2 tablespoons strained fresh orange juice 4 eggs ½ cup sugar ½ cup heavy cream Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine passion fruit puree, lemon, lime and orange juices. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and cream. Gradually whisk the puree/juices into the eggs/sugar/cream, taking care not to whisk too many air bubbles in the mixture. Strain the tart filling through a fine mesh strainer set over a large mixing bowl, preferably with a spout. Place the cooled tart shell (still on the parchment lined baking sheet) on the middle rack of the oven. Pull the rack out slightly and pour the filling into the tart shell. Carefully slide the rack back in. Bake the tart for 20 minutes; I start to check it at 15 minutes. The tart will continue to firm up as it cools; you want the edges to be firm but the center to have a very slight wiggle. Every oven is different so keep an eye on things. (You may need an additional 5 minutes or so depending on the oven.) Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack. Cool completely then refrigerate. Garnish with freshly whipped cream and a drizzle of reserved passion fruit pulp and seeds. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. *My supermarket sells unsweetened passion fruit puree; you can also find it frozen. Just avoid the sweetened juices which are full of additional sugar. |
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