Preheat oven to 375°F.
Mix together the almond milk, sugar, spices, pepper, salt, oil, and sandalwood. The color should be a brilliant red, and the mixture should be thick but runny.
In a separate bowl, combine the fruits. Spread the fruit mixture into the shell, then spoon the almond milk mixture over it.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until the filling is set and the top has slightly browned. Allow the tart to cool completely before serving.
Modern Apricot Tarts
Makes 4 small tarts
Prep: 15 minutes
Baking: 25 to 30 minutes
This dessert is beautiful in presentation and has a more delicate taste than tarts that use dried apricots. The fresh fruit is lighter and is accented by the combination of lemon and pistachio.
5 fresh apricots
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon chopped pistachios
¼ cup tart cherry juice (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll out each piece and press it into a 4-inch tartlet pan.
Cut the apricots into very thin wedges and arrange them in the tart pans, starting from the outside and working in; place the slices curved side up. Sprinkle each tart with 1 teaspoon sugar and some chopped pistachios. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Allow the tarts to cool completely before removing them from the pans.
If desired, drizzle 1 tablespoon cherry juice over the top of each tart to add color and sweetness.
Lemon Cakes
Later came sweetbreads and pigeon pie and baked apples fragrant with cinnamon and lemon cakes frosted in sugar, but by then Sansa was so stuffed that she could not manage more than two little lemon cakes, as much as she loved them
.
—A GAME OF THRONES
Elizabethan Lemon Cakes
To Make Lemon Cakes. ½ lb flour
,
½ lb fine sugar, the peel of two lemons, or one large one; 3 oz. butter; 3 eggs; ½ the whites. Break the butter into the flour and stir them with a knife. Make them the bigness of a gingerbread button. Grate the lemon peel with a piece of the sugar. Butter the tins. Take them of the tins whilst warm. Place them upon the tins about 2 inches distance because they spread in the oven. Two minutes will bake them
.
—LUCAYOS COOKBOOK
, 1690
Makes 36 small cakes
Prep: 5 minutes
Baking: 15 minutes
Falling somewhere between cakes and cookies, these chewy lemon delights are both addictive and easy to make. They have an elegant simplicity and a delicate sweetness that renders them the ideal companions for afternoon tea, whether in London or King’s Landing.
2½ cups flour, plus more as needed
2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Grated zest from 2 lemons
1 egg
2 egg yolks
⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar
1½ teaspoons milk
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a large baking sheet.
In a large bowl, combine the flour and granulated sugar. Cut in the butter, then add the zest and the whole egg and yolks. Mix thoroughly, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is no longer sticky and can be easily shaped by hand.
Roll the dough into balls about 1 inch across and place them on the prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart, giving them room to spread as they bake.
Bake for 15 minutes, until the tops are just slightly golden. Allow the cakes to cool for a minute before moving them to a cooling rack.
Mix the confectioners’ sugar and milk to a smooth consistency. Once the cakes have cooled, use a spoon to drizzle the icing over the cookies.
Cook’s Note:
If the mixture seems too dry, add a little water or lemon juice until the dough comes together.
Modern Lemon Cakes
Makes 45 to 60 mini cakes
Prep: 15 minutes
Baking: 30 minutes
Icing: 20 minutes