Warm Apple-Almond Pastry

Submitted by Kayne

"Another Pampered Chef recipe, but one that I haven't fixed yet. With Christmas just around the corner, I thought this might be a good one."

 

• Ready In: 55mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 1 cup almonds, sliced, divided
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg yolk, only
• 1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 - 17 1⁄3 ounce puff pastry sheet, frozen, thawed
• 2 red baking apples, such as Jonathan
• 1⁄4 cup apricot jam, warmed

directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Thaw pastry sheets at room temperature about 1 hour before using it, or microwave it at 20% power for 3-4 mintues, thawed but still cold for easier handling.
3. Grate 3/4 cup of the almonds.
4. Make the almond mixture by combing, in a bowl, the grated almonds, sugar, flour, whole egg and the 1 egg yolk, and almond extract. Mix well and set aside.
5. Prepare the apples by cutting them in half lengthwise, and removing the stems, and seeds, then slice the apple halves crosswise, to 1/4" thick. Set aside.
6. Unfold one pastry sheet onto a baking pan large enough to accomodate the rolled out pastry, (a pizza pan might be best,) spreading out to 10 1/2" square.
7. Spreak the almond mixture evenly over the pasty to within 1" of the edge.
8. Arrange apple slices, creating them into an overlapping pattern, over the filling.
9. Cut remaining pasty sheet into 9 - 1" strips.
10. Moisten outer edges of spread dough with water. Arrange five strips diagonally over apples, twisting the strips, then press edges into moisted dough to seal.
11. Trim excess.
12. Arrange the fmaining dough strips around the edge of pasty, to creat a nice even border.
13. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, pastry should be golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes.
14. Spread the warmed jam over the pastry. Brown the remaining almonds in microwave, by cooking them on high for 5 - 7 minutes. Stirr every 30 seconds. Chop the almonds.
15. Sprinkle the almonds over the pastry. Then sprinkle with powdered sugar, if you want to. Cut it into squares, then top with ice cream and/or whipped topping. Serve it warm.