Caramel-Almond Tartlets

Ingredients

• 0.5 teaspoon almond extract 
• 1 cup almonds sliced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar 
• 0.5 cup butter cold cut into pieces
• 1  egg yolk 
• 0.8 teaspoon salt 
• 0.8 cup sugar 
• 1.3 cups unbleached flour all-purpose
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 0.8 cup whipping cream 
• 1 tablespoon whipping cream 

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• frying pan
• baking sheet
• oven
• wire rack
• wooden spoon

Directions

1. Process first 3 ingredients in a food processor just until blended.
2. Add pieces of butter, pulsing 5 or 6 times or until mixture is crumbly.
3. Combine egg yolk, whipping cream, and vanilla; stir well. With processor running, slowly add egg mixture through food chute; process just until ingredients form a ball and leave sides of bowl. Shape dough into a flat disc; cover and chill 30 minutes.
4. Place 3/4 cup sugar in a large, heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until sugar melts and syrup is golden.
5. Remove from heat, and slowly add 3/4 cup cream, stirring gently. (Sugar may crack and harden, but will melt again.) Return to heat, and cook, stirring gently, until mixture is smooth and thickened.
6. Remove from heat; stir in almond extract and sliced almonds. Cool.
7. Cut chilled dough in half; divide each half into 8 balls. Press each ball into a lightly greased 1 1/2" round tartlet pan; place tartlet pans on a baking sheet.
8. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Cool slightly.
9. Increase oven temperature to 40
10. Fill each tartlet shell with 1 tablespoon almond filling.
11. Bake at 400 for 14 to 18 minutes or until golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.
12. Remove from pans.
13. Note: For variety, we baked some of the tartlets in 4" x 2" barquette (boat-shaped) molds. We reduced the baking times for the crust and tartlets each to 9 minutes.