Ingredients (Serves 4)
1 ⅔ cup flour
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
⅔ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons ice water
½ cup lightly toasted ground almonds
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 lb. strawberries, hulled & halved
milk
coarse sugar and some powdered sugar, if desired
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine flour, 1 teaspoon sugar, and salt.
- Add cold butter pieces, and using your clean hands, rub butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse pea sized crumbs.
- Add the ice water and fold in, again using your hands, mixing until the dough comes together into a ball.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, and on a lightly floured surface, roll into a rough circle approximately 12 inches in diameter. Transfer to a baking stone.
- Mix the flour and ground almonds, and spoon onto the center of the pastry dough, leaving about a 3″ border all the way around.
- Toss the strawberry halves with the sugar, and arrange on top of the ground almond mixture.
- Fold up the edges of the pastry and gently shape into a heart (or leave it round), brush pastry with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until gold brown.
- Best enjoyed warm from the oven.
- Top with whipped cream if desired or sprinkle with powdered sugar.