Banketletters (almond-filled Pastries)

In order to break our wills to His, God brings us to the foot of the Cross and there shows us what real brokenness is. We see those wounded Hands and Feet, that Face of Love crowned with thorns and we see the complete brokenness of the One who said, “Not My will, but Thine be done,” as He drank the bitter cup of our sin to its dregs. So the way to be broken is to look on Him and to realize it was our sin which nailed Him there. Then as we see the love and brokenness of the God who died in our place, our hearts will become strangely melted and we will want to be broken for Him and we shall pray, “Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord, Oh, to be lost in Thee, Oh, that it might be no more I, But Christ that lives in me.” And some of us have found that there is no prayer that God is so swift to answer as the prayer that He might break us.

Roy Hession

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Dairy, Eggs			20	Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1	c	Unsalted Butter, Very Cold
		no substitutes
2	c	All-purpose Flour
1/2	c	Sour Cream, Cold
1		Egg Yolk, Slightly Beaten
1		8-oz Almond Paste or Make
		Your Own
1/4	c	Blanched Almonds
1/2	c	White Sugar
1		Egg, Slightly Beaten
1/8	t	Almond Extract

INSTRUCTIONS

The confectioners of The Netherlands rank among the finest in Europe,
so dont get frustrated if you need to try this recipe two or three
times to master your preparation. These little almond-based
confections are immensely popular for the holidays in The Netherlands.
Banketletters are flaky, puffed pastries filled with a delectable
almond paste and shaped into a letter, usually an initial. One of the
most popular letters is M-- for Mother. M also happens to be one of
the larger letters to select and serve. No Sinterklaas Eve gathering
would be complete without a large pastry letter adorning the serving
table.  In a large bowl cut butter into small pieces and add to flour.
Utilize a pastry blender or 2 knives and cut the butter into the  flour
until the butter is the size of peas. In a separate bowl, mix  sour
cream with the egg yolk and blend into the flour and butter  mixture
with a fork until the dough forms a ball. Divide the dough  into 2
pieces, wrap well and refrigerate for several hours (or  several days,
if desired). Allow dough to return to room temperature  before
preparing cookies.  If you are preparing your own almond filling, grind
the almonds well  and mix with the sugar and almond extract in a bowl.
Add the egg and  use a wooden spoon or you hands to work the mixture
until it is  smooth. Almond paste will keep for several weeks when
wrapped  securely and refrigerated.  To prepare the cookies roll the
room temperature dough out into  1/2-inch thickness and cut dough into
strips 3 1/2 to 4-inches long.  Work the almond filling into little
round sticks about the length and  diameter of your finger. Lay the
almond paste sticks on the dough  strips individually. Place a dab of
cold water on the end of each  dough stick with almond filling and tuck
under. Make sure to place  cookies seam-side-down on a cookie sheet.
Sticks may be formed into letters or wreaths, or any shape you desire.
Parts of letters can be joined by adding a dab of water to the joint
of the cookie. Prior to baking brush each cookie with 1 egg that has
been beaten with 1 Tbs. of water. Bake cookies in a pre-heated 400-F
degree oven for 20 to 25 -minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire
rack. Cookies may be served warm, if desired. Refrigerate to store  and
serve at room temperature. Happy Cooking from The Cook & Kitchen  Staff
at http://www.recipe-a-day.com  From The Cook & Kitchen Staff at
http://www.recipe-a-day.com by The  Cook
<owner-dailyrecipe@recipe-a-day.com> on Dec 07, 1997

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“There is hope. There is Jesus”

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients) ---------------------------------------------- Calories: 62 Calories From Fat: 13 Total Fat: 1.5g Cholesterol: 18.5mg Sodium: 4.3mg Potassium: 30mg Carbohydrates: 10g Fiber: <1g Sugar: <1g Protein: 2.1g