Once you learn the “rough puff paste” there is no turning back. Make it all, all the good, flakey, buttery, puffy, fabulous things!
Remember when I made this tarte de soleil? The recipe for the “rough puff pastry” is in that post.
The leftover pastry went in the freezer (remember, to get good lift on the edges, don't roll your pastry out into a circle — cut your circles out of your pastry — and then use the leftover dough for something else).
And so I had enough to make this for Easter morning:
There's really not much to tell you about it. This is the great thing about French food in general. You just have the elements and you put them together. I could have put some apricot jam in there and laid apples across, dusting the top with sugar. In this case, chocolate and almond… yum!
Get some 60% chocolate chips, like these (they have these at my grocery store). Get some almond paste. (Like this one, which is the kind I get at my grocery store as well. There are two brands. I don't get the cheapest, because it's tasteless. I get the other one, this one. If there were a better one, I'd probably get that. I… could eat it just like that, a 7 oz. bar of almond paste, down the hatch… I don't… but I could.)
Divide your dough in two. Roll one piece out into a rectangle-ish kind of shape. Cut the edges to make an actual rectangle. Brush the edges of the rectangle with a little egg, beaten.
Use the cut-off pieces by laying them on the edges of the rectangle to sort of build the sides up. Sorry that I didn't take pictures of this… it's just a way to use the scraps and build up the sides. Nothing untidy will show. Set the cut sides outwards.
I couldn't even find an illustration online of what I'm talking about, so I scanned a picture of Julia doing it in her “The Way to Cook,” which is a distillation of the two volumes of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”
What I love about Julia is that she gives you the template, which of course sets you free to move about the world of food without recipes.
What I'm trying to tell you is that you can use the scraps to make the edges higher, and any imperfections will not show, because you will put the cut edges outwards (and so they will look like hers, above, on the border), and the irregular bits inwards (where no one will ever see them).
Then open up your almond paste and cut it into slices that will cover the bottom of the pastry. Sprinkle chocolate chips to cover the almond past.
Roll out the second piece of pastry. Cut it to make a rectangle the same size as the other one, also laying the cut-off pieces along the edge, gluing everything with a little beaten egg.
Put the second rectangle on top, also brushing the edges with egg so everything stays sealed.
Cut the slits into the top (I remembered that the name for this pastry is “jalousie” — the French word for Venetian blind! Even before I got out my book!). Brush the top with the beaten egg and sprinkle the sliced almonds on top.
Here is Julia's (in the book, this is a color photo, but I didn't press the right button):
I didn't fold my dough over the way she does here; I just cut the slits once it was in place. You can see that in this picture, above, she folded over the bottom and didn't bother with building up the edges. But if you want the whole thing to rise straight up with the layers showing, cutting and building is the way to go.
Here I am trying to scan this large book in my small corner:
Chill the tart for 30 minutes or overnight. Or freeze.
Bake at 425-450° (how hot does your oven run? don't burn it but it needs good heat at first for the lift) for about 15-20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400-375° and bake for another 20 or so minutes until everything is golden brown and puffed, and the inside of the cuts looks puffed as well. Julia wants you to bake the whole thing for an hour, which seems like too long to me. Maybe mine was smaller than hers. But you do want it cooked well through — there's nothing so disappointing (other than burning it!) as soggy pastry that was meant to be crispy.
I recommend finishing this a couple of hours before serving it, so that the filling can cool. Then you can cut it without having it ooze out, and the almond and chocolate layers will be distinct and appreciated.
But hey! Maybe you can't wait that long either!
Jamie says
Good evening, Auntie Leila. Your tarte de soleil was a hit at our Resurrection Sunday dinner. My 20 year old daughter made it. First time ever with that type of pastry. She has made it thrice since! Love it and what a revelation rough pastry is. We will be making this chocolate almond goodness. Thanks ever so much for what you do and share with us.
Leila says
Oh, well done, Jamie — get your own personal pastry chef to churn these tasty treats out! Way to go.
Jamie says
Might I suggest The Great British Baking Show for fun, charming and wholesome viewing?
Jo says
Yes! I would love to hear the LMLD take on GBBO.
Leila says
Jamie and Jo, let’s see — to my knowledge, Habou, Sukie, The Quack, Rosie, and I have watched various iterations of The Great British Bake Off with great gusto and enjoyment. It’s tricky! Netflix has Season 1, but then apparently You Tube has a *different* Season 1, of which I’ve watched one episode.
I want to watch them all. They are so endearing and awkward and fun. And now we all want to make Victoria Sponges and Hot Water Pastry and Mowbray Melton Pies…
Anamaria says
Thank you! That looks delicious and doable. I love to bake and cook, though I had no idea how to make pastry anything until recently (my very practical cooking reference is The Essentials of Italian Cooking rather than the French alternative 😉 ).
Lisa G. says
In the March 2016 issue of British Country Living, there is a recipe for Cheddar and Onion Jalousie! (I don’t think I’m going to make it, however.) 🙂