Chocolate-almond crostata - country living

8 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
Sweet Pastry (recipe follows)
1½ cup Heavy cream
1 pack (8-oz) semisweet chocolate squares, coarsely chopped
½ cup Whole natural almonds
2 tablespoons Almond-flavored liqueur

Directions

1. Prepare Sweet Pastry. Divide pastry in half; wrap one half. On lightly floured surface, roll out remaining half to 11 -inch round.

Fit pastry round into 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom.

2. In saucepan, heat cream just to boiling. In food processor titted with chopping blade, process chocolate and almonds until finely chopped. With machine running, pour in hot cream and liqueur. Process until smooth. Pour into pastry-lined tart pan. Set aside 15 minutes for filling to cool slightly.

3. Heat oven to 350'F. On lightly floured surface, roll out remaining half of pastry dough to 10-inch round. With fingertip dipped in water, moisten pastry in tart pan around the edge. Fold 10-inch pastry round in half and place over half of filled crostata. Unfold pastry to cover crostata completely. Pinch pastry together and trim excess off edge. Place crostata on rimmed baking sheet. With tip of knife, cut 8 slits in top of crust.

4. Reroll pastry trimmings to a 6- by 3-inch rectangle. Using a 3-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutter or a paper pattern, cut grape leaves. Score pastry leaves to resemble grape leav arrange on a piece of aluminum foil on baking sheet. Tuck crumpled or rolled foil under leaves to make them curve. Shape remaining pastry into ⅜-inch balls. Lightly moisten balls with water and arrange on foil with the leaves to resemble a bunch of grapes, pressing them together until they stick.

5. Bake crostata 45 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and filling seems set when pan is tapped. Bake pastry grapes 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown; check occasionally and cover tips of leaves with foil if they brown too quickly. Cool crostata in pan and pastry grapes on wire rack to room temperature. Remove side of pan from crostata. Place crostata on serv- ing plate. Remove foil from pastry grapes, and place the grapes decoratively on top of crostata.

Sweet Pastry: In large bowl, combine 2¼ C unsifted all-purpose flour, ¼ C sugar, ¼ t baking powder, and ¼ t salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in ½ C (1 stick) unsalted butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1 large egg and 1 to 2 T cold water until dough clings together.

Nutritional information per serving@rotein: 8 grams; fat: 44 grams; carbohydrate: 54 grams; fiber: 3 grams; sodium: 1 10 milligrams; cholesterol; 118 milligrams; calories: 627.

Country Living/March/93 Scanned & fixed by DP & GG

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