My husband and I ate an Italian Almond Tart for the first time in Rome years ago. We were utterly surprised when the waiters presented it with a small hammer. When we asked what we should do with the hammer, we were told to gently tap the tart to break it apart so we could eat it! We had so much fun gobbling up this delicious confection oozing with flavors of toasted almonds and orange zest. I asked the waiters how it was made and they told me the base was cornmeal. Much research later, I found a slew of recipes that approximated what we ate. I took a little bit from each one and here is what I came up with. We love it!
Prep time: 15 minutes.
Italian Almond Tart
By Published: June 30, 2014
Yield:
- 8 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 large Egg Yolk
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon pure Vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
- 6 tablespoons cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons Non-dairy Margarine
- 1/3 cup White Sugar
- 3 tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar
- 4 ounces blanched almonds toasted and minced
- Non-dairy Baking Spray
Equipment
- 9 inch springform pan
- 1 small mixing bowl
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- cooling rack
Directions
- Spray baking pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to: 350° F.
- Mix egg yolk with orange zest and both extracts. Set aside.
- Mix flour together with cornmeal and salt. Cut in margarine with a fork or your fingertips. Stir in white and brown sugar and almonds. Add yolk mixture and, using a fork, mix together with other ingredients. The result will be crumbly.
- Pour mixture into baking pan and pat down as evenly as possible. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on rack completely before unmolding on to a serving dish. Serve with a small hammer for breaking tart apart or break it with your hands. It's great with mixed berries, fruit salad and sorbet.
