Art by the Creek

Preheat oven 350*.  Butter and flour 12 cup bundt pan

Ingredients

2 cups flour

3/4 cup almond flour or ground almonds

2 1/2 teaspoons Chinese 5-spice powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp.

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup greek-style yogurt

1 cup chopped toasted almonds

1 cup fresh cranberries, cut in half

1 cup dried cranberries

Glaze

1/3 cup powdered sugar

4 tsp. (approx.) orange juice

Preparation

Whisk together all dry ingredients, set aside.  In a standing mixer, cream butter until smooth.  Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, then stir in yogurt.  Fold in dry ingredients and finally add almonds and cranberries.  Fold until just blended, do not overbeat.  Add batter to pan and bake approximately 1 hour, or until lightly browned and tester comes out clean.  Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes, then remove from pan to cool completely.  Stir together glaze and glaze cake.  Store airtight.

At least one day prior to baking, prepare apricot filling (see Apricot Pastry).  Prepare pastry dough.  Prior to baking, preheat oven to 375*. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Ingredients

Pastry

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick butter, chilled and cubed 1/2 inch

1/2 cup softened vanilla icecream (supermarket brand)

Filling

1/2 cup apricot filling (see Apricot Pastry recipe (10-6-08)

zest from one lemon

3 tbs. brown sugar

3 tbs. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

half n half or milk

Preparation

Place flour and salt in food processor bowl. Pulse to combine. Add butter cubes and process 8-10 seconds until a fine meal forms.  Place contents in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center. Add softened ice cream and draw dry ingredients inward, stirring, then knead several times to form a soft cohesive dough.  Divide dough in half, and shape each half into a rectangle, coating lightly with flour.  Wrap well and chill at least overnight and up to three days (or freeze up to 1 month and move to refrigerator the night before baking).

Prior to baking, roll each rectangle on floured surface to 10 X 9 inches.  Combine lemon zest with reserved apricot filling and spread 1/2 filling over surface, leaving a 1-inch border.  Top with 1/2 combined sugars and cinnamon, and then sprinkle 1/2 nuts overall.  Starting at the near, long edge, roll tightly into a log, finally moistening the far edge with water to seal.  Place on cookie sheet and brush with milk or cream. Top with a few remaining nuts and slash top of dough with sharp knife at intervals.  Repeat with remaining dough and filling mixtures.  Bake 30-45 minutes until golden brown, rotating pans if necessary.  Cool on parchment at least 1/2 hour prior to slicing with a serrated knife into 1 inch slices.  Store airtight or freeze.

Preheat oven to 400*. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tbs. sliced almonds (25 grams)

1 cup minus 1 tbs flour (117 grams)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3 1/2 tbs. unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar (50 grams)

1 egg, additional for glaze

1 tsp. cinnamon

zest of 1/2 lemon

Preparation

In work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade, pulse almonds with 1/4 flour until fine.  Add to bowl of standing mixer.  Add remaining flour and baking powder and combine.  Add butter, sugar, single egg, cinnamon and lemon zest.  Blend at very low speed until well combined, scraping down once or twice.  Remove from bowl onto plastic wrap, wrap well and chill at least one hour or over night.

Between sheets of plastic wrap or parchment, roll dough to 1/8-inch and cut into pleasing shapes.  Cookie cutters may be used, but to conserve dough, I just used a sharp knife/pastry cutter.  Transfer dough to baking sheet.  Brush tops with beaten egg.  Set aside 10 minutes to dry before baking. Bake 8-12 minutes until well golden. Cool on parchment on wire rack 5 minutes, then remove parchment and cool completely. Store airtight.