ALMOND TART WITH GINGERBREAD MEN

2-l/2 cups flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
l tsp. ginger
l/2 tsp. salt
l/2 tsp. baking powder
l/4 tsp. nutmeg
l cup butter, room temp.
l cup packed dark brown sugar
l large egg
Filling: l-l/2 cups blanched slivered almonds (about 6 ozs.)
3/4 cup sugar
l/4 cup butter, room temp
l large egg
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
l tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. almond extract
powdered sugar
apricot preserves
For dough. Sift first 6 ingredients into med bowl. Using elecgtric mixer beat butter and sugar in large bowl until blended. Beat in egg. Add flour mix and beat until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; divided into 2 pieces, l slightly larger than the other. Flatten dough into disks; wrap and chill at least 2 hrs. (Can be made 2 days ahead – soften slightly before rolling).
For filling: blend first 8 ingredients in processor until nuts are finely chopped. transfer to small bowl. Cover; chill at least 2 hrs and up to 2 days. Heat oven 325. Butter 9″ springform pan. Roll out large dough piece on lightly floured surface to l3″ round. Transfer to pan and press gently over bottom and up sides, pressing any tears together. Spread filling in dough. Trim dough on sides to l/2″ above level of filling. Fold dough in over filling. Roll out 2nd dough disk on lightly floured surface to l2″-l3″ round. Using bottom of cake pan as aid cut out 9″ diameter round of dough. Slide dough round onto plate and freeze 5 mins to firm. Reserve dough scraps for cookies. Place chilled dough round on tart; press to adhere and seal edges. Baketart until crust is brown about 50 mins. Remove sides of spring form pan, cool tart completely on pan bottom. Maintain oven temp. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out dough scraps on lightly floured surface to scane l/4″ thickness. Using 2″ gingerbreadman cutter cut out cookies. Transfer cutouts to prepared sheets. Repeat using all of dough. Bake cookies until golden about 8 mins. Cool cookies on sheets. (Tart and cookies can be made ahead, cover and store at room temp l day or refrigerate up to 3 days). Sift powdered sugar over top of tart. Place small dab of preserves on back of l cookie; place at top edge of tart. Repeat with more cookies forming border around tart. ransfer tart to platter. Let stand at room temp for at least l hour. (you need about l4 cookies for this tart). This is definitely a christmas tart but you could use different shaped cookies for other occasions. Bon Appetit Dec. 2001 Make sure that when you go to put the top crust on the cake that you lay it down and let the air out of it (in other words lay it down one side at a time and then place it flatly) the last time I cooked this I had a big air bubble when it baked and the cookies couldn’t lay flat.