Almond Cherry Ring Food

CHERRY ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottom and sides of 8 x 8-inch pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Coat lightly with no-stick cooking spray.
• STIR together flour, brown sugar and salt until mixed. Add oil, water and almond extract. Combine with fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pat evenly in bottom of prepared pan.
• BAKE 15 minutes.
• SPREAD preserves evenly over warm crust. Mix almonds, brown sugar and oil until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over top of preserves.
• BAKE 20 minutes. Cool completely. Lift out of pan using foil. Cut into 16 bars. Store in refrigerator.

MARY'S CHERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease a 23cm/9in bundt tin or savarin mould with butter.
• Cut the cherries into quarters. Set aside five of the quartered cherries for the decoration later. Put the rest of the quartered cherries in a sieve and rinse under running water. Drain well then dry thoroughly on kitchen paper and toss in two tablespoons of the flour.
• Measure all the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and beat well for two minutes to mix thoroughly. Lightly fold in the cherries. Turn into the prepared tin.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until well risen, golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out and cool on a wire rack.
• For the icing, mix the icing sugar together with the lemon juice to a thick paste. Drizzle over the cooled cake using the back of a spoon, sprinkle over the toasted almonds and reserved cherries.

DANISH KRINGLE

Steps:

• Warm the milk in the microwave: Pour the milk into a microwave safe cup or bowl. Heat the milk in the microwave in 15 second intervals until it is warm to the touch but not scalding, about 100°F. If it scalds or burns, then it's too hot for the yeast. You can also use a thermometer to check the temperature of the milk to be sure it has reached 100°F.
• Enclose the filling: Use a pastry brush to brush the edges of the dough with water. Fold the long bottom edge up and over the filling, then fold the top edge down, overlapping the bottom edge to enclose the filling completely. Gently press the seam to close. You should end up with a long log.
• Arrange oven rack and preheat the oven: Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

CHERRY CRESCENT RING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Grease cookie sheet.
• Reserve 5 cherries and chop remaining.
• In small bowl, combine chopped cherries, cream cheese, almonds, sugar and almond extract; mix well. Set aside.
• Separate each can crescent dough into 2 large rectangles. Overlap long sides of 4 rectangles and firmly press edges and perforations to seal.
• Roll or pat out to form a rectangle about 15X13 inches.
• Spread cherry mixture over dough.
• Starting at longer side, roll up, pressing edges to seal.
• On greased cookie sheet, place seam side down. Form into a ring, firmly pressing ends together.
• With a sharp knife, cut almost through ring at 1-inch intervals. Turn each section slightly on its side.
• Bake at 375 for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. If necessary, cover with foil during last 5 minute to prevent excessive browning.
• In small bowl, combine all glaze ingredients; mix well.\.
• Drizzle warm coffeecake with glaze. Garnish with sliced amonds and reserved cherries.
• Store in refrigerator.

AMARENA CHERRY & ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Mix together the butter, sugar, flour, a pinch of salt and the egg in a food processor to make a dough, then wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 mins. The dough should be cold but still easy to work with by the time you roll it out.
• Meanwhile, make the frangipane filling. Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat, then set aside to cool slightly. Beat the sugar with the eggs and lemon zest in a bowl until creamy. Pour in the melted butter while continuing to beat, then add the ground almonds (or almond flour) and fold into the mixture. Heat oven to 175C/155C fan/gas 3½.
• Line a buttered tart tin or ring mould (approximately 23cm) with the rolled-out pastry dough, then trim any overhanging edges. Spread the frangipane evenly into the tin and arrange the cherries on top with some of their syrup, so the top of the tart is covered in a thin layer.
• Put the tart in the oven and bake for about 40-45 mins until golden brown, puffed and firm to the touch. Leave to cool on a rack. Dust with some icing sugar, if you like, before serving in slices.

CHERRY TEA RING

Steps:

• For Bread:.
• In small saucepan, heat and stir milk and butter until warm and butter almost melts.
• Cool to lukewarm (105-115 degrees F).
• In large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast into 1/2 cup warm water.
• Stir in milk mixture, 3 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, and salt.
• Use wooden spoon to stir in as much of remaining flour as possible.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface.
• Knead in enough of remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (about 6-8 minutes total).
• Shape into ball and place into greased bowl, turning once in order to grease entire surface of dough.
• Cover and let rise in warm place until doubles in size about 1-1 1/2 hours.
• Punch dough down.
• Turn out onto lightly floured surface.
• Divide dough in half, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
• In medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to boiling, remove from heat.
• Add cherries and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Drain, squeezing out excess water of cherries. Set aside.
• In medium mixing bowl, mix 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and cinnamon.
• Cut 1/2 cup butter into mixture until crumbly and set aside.
• Roll half of dough into 15 x 9 rectangle.
• Sprinkle half of the cinnamon filling evenly over dough.
• Sprinkle with half of cherries.
• Roll up, jelly roll style, starting from long side.
• Seal seam.
• Grease two baking pans (cookie sheets).
• Place dough roll on one of prepared baking pans.
• Attach ends of dough to form a circle.
• Pinch to seal ends.
• Use sharp knife to cut slits at 1 inch intervals around ring.
• Cover, let dough rise again until double in size, about 30 minutes.
• Repeat with remaining dough, cinnamon mix, and cherries.
• Bake both rings in 350 degree F oven for about 25 minutes or until tea rings sound hollow when you tap tops. (if necessary cover tops with foil for last 5-10 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning.).
• Transfer to wire racks and cool completely.
• Drizzle with icing. . .
• For icing:.
• In small bowl, mix powdered sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and almond extract.
• Stir in enough cream to make drizzling consistency.
• If desired, add red food color to icing.

CHERRY & ALMOND TARTS

Steps:

• Very thinly roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Stamp out 12 x 9cm circles with a fluted cutter, if you have one, and use to line a bun tin. Spread 1 rounded tsp of the cherry jam in the bottom of each tart.
• Whizz the cake to crumbs in a food processor, then tip into a mixing bowl and add the flour, butter, ground almonds, caster sugar, eggs and almond extract. Beat together until smooth, then divide between the tarts, spreading a little with the back of a teaspoon to cover the jam. Scatter over the flaked almonds and openfreeze for 2 hrs, then wrap well in cling film and freeze for up to 2 months.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 with a baking sheet in it. Unwrap the tarts from the freezer and loosely top with a sheet of foil. Bake on the heated baking sheet for 30-40 mins until golden, removing the foil halfway. Cool the tarts a little, then add a splash of water into the icing sugar to make a runny icing. Drizzle over the tarts and leave to set.
• Very thinly roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Stamp out 12 x 9cm circles with a fluted cutter, if you have one, and use to line a bun tin. Spread 1 rounded tsp of the cherry jam in the bottom of each tart.
• Whizz the cake to crumbs in a food processor, then tip into a mixing bowl and add the flour, butter, ground almonds, caster sugar, eggs and almond extract. Beat together until smooth, then divide between the tarts, spreading a little with the back of a teaspoon to cover the jam. Scatter over the flaked almonds and openfreeze for 2 hrs, then wrap well in cling film and freeze for up to 2 months.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 with a baking sheet in it. Unwrap the tarts from the freezer and loosely top with a sheet of foil. Bake on the heated baking sheet for 30-40 mins until golden, removing the foil halfway. Cool the tarts a little, then add a splash of water into the icing sugar to make a runny icing. Drizzle over the tarts and leave to set.

CHRISTMAS CRESCENT RING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Unroll crescent dough; separate along dough perforations into 16 triangles.
• Overlap 8 dough triangles on prepared baking sheet, forming a 10-inch-diameter dough disk that looks like the sun with a hole in the middle.
• Press edges together to seal the dough "disk".
• Using a rolling pin, roll out almond paste between 2 sheets of waxed paper into a 9-inch diameter disk.
• Place almond disk atop dough disk.
• Spread jam over almond paste.
• Using remaining 8 dough triangles, arrange second 10-inch diameter dough disk atop jam.
• Pinch edges of dough disks to seal; tuck edges under.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
• While ring is baking, make glaze by stirring powdered sugar, water, and almond extract together in a medium bowl until smooth.
• Drizzle half of glaze over warm crescent.
• Let glaze set for 10 minutes and then drizzle remaining glaze over.
• Decorate with sugar-dipped cherries and small pears, if desired.

CHERRY AND ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 160C/ 325F/ Gas 3.
• Line a 20cm deep cake tin with greased non-stick baking paper.
• Place the cherry halves in a small bowl and coat with 1tbs of the flour. Put to one side.
• Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream together.
• Add the almond essence and then gradually add the eggs, beating well in between each addition.
• Stir in 60g of flaked almonds and the lemon rind.
• Fold in both flours and then gently fold in the cherries.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface.
• Sprinkle the remaining almonds over the surface and then bake for approximately 1 hour 10 minutes until golden.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.