This tart is somewhat like Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films. The first five minute, it’s all good. Then the violence hits and hits again, and again. You’re just about to get up and leave. Then violence becomes not the story, but rather the canvass the story is being told on. Substitute the violence for the sugar and you’ll get the idea. This is a very sugary tart, but don’t let that stop you. The sugar is the canvass for the nuttiness, the crispness of the crust, and the caramel flavors. Just like Kill Bill you will be back for more.
The recipe and detailed instructions are at the end of this post. For this recipe, we need granulated sugar, unsalted butter, egg, vanilla extract, bread flour, heavy cream, almond liqueur, light corn syrup, and almonds. Looks like we have it all. Ready, set, bake…
In a mixer, with the dough hook attachment, mix the sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla at low speed until just combined. Add the flour and mix until the dough is smooth. Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and press out as flat as possible. This makes the dough takes up less space and cools it quickly. Cover and refrigerate until firm enough to work with, about 30 minutes.
Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick and use it to line a tart pan. Place a large piece of plastic wrap in the shell and fill with pie weights. Make sure no plastic is touching metal if using plastic wrap or it will burn. Bake at 375°F for 10 to 15 minutes.
I always sanitize my countertops before working on them with disinfecting wipes. The wipes are easy to use and cheap (Costco has them in generic too).
Rolling out dough can be tricky at times. I have been having some issues lately and could not figure out what was happening. The chilled dough would quickly warm up and break or stick to the granite countertop. One night while unable to sleep it dawned on me, I’ve been running the dishwasher while I have been baking. What does this have to do with my rolling problem? The dishwasher is right under the granite slab. The countertop is warming up because of the dishwasher, causing my doughs to warm up too fast. Something as small as this can and will affect your dough.
Remove the plastic and weights and continue to bake for 5 to 8 minutes more. The dough should be set and golden brown. Set the shell aside. Combine the cream, sugar, almond liqueur, and corn syrup in an oversized saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook to 230°F, stirring and scraping down the sides of the pan frequently. The mixture should be thickened and just beginning to caramelize when you have reached 230°F.
Remove from the mixture from the heat and stir in the almonds. Pour the mixture into the shell and smooth the top with the back of a spoon to flatten the surface and make sure the almonds are evenly distributed. Bake at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes. The top of the tart should be dark golden brown and the filling should be bubbling in the center as well as around the edges.
Let the baked tart cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.
Recipe: Caramel Toffee Almond Tart
Adapted from The Professional Pastry Chef: Fundamentals of Baking and Pastry, 4th Edition, Bo Friberg Print RecipeYield: 16 slices
Ingredients
- 2 ounces (58 g) granulated sugar
- 4.75 ounces (135 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 an egg
- 1/3 teaspoon (1.7 ml) vanilla extract
- 5.85 ounces (165 g) bread flour
- 1 3/4 cups (390 ml) heavy cream
- 10.5 ounces (298 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoons (15 ml) almond liqueur
- 1 tablespoons (15 ml) light corn syrup
- 6.5 ounces (185 g) sliced natural almonds, very lightly toasted
Instructions
- Place the sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla in a mixing bowl mix at low speed with the dough hook until just combined.
- Add the flour and mix until the dough is smooth.
- Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and press out as flat as possible. Cover and refrigerate until firm enough to work with, about 30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick and use it to line a tart pan, 11 inches (27.5 cm) in diameter.
- Place a piece of plastic wrap in the shell and fill with pie weights. Make sure no plastic is touching metal.
- Bake at 375°F (190°C) for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and weights and continue to bake for 5 to 8 minutes more. The dough should be set and golden brown. Set the shell aside.
- Combine the cream, sugar, almond liqueur, and corn syrup in an oversized saucepan (the mixture will bubble up a lot). Bring to a boil and cook to 230°F (110°C), stirring and scraping down the sides of the pan frequently; the mixture should be thickened and just beginning to caramelize. Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the tops with the back of a spoon to flatten the surface and make sure the almonds are evenly distributed.
- Bale at 375°F (190°C) for 20 to 25 minutes. The top of the tart should be dark golden brown and the filling should be bubbling in the center as well as around the edges. Let cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.