Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12- to 13-inch round. Using bottom of cake pan as aid, cut out 9-inch-diameter round of dough. Slide dough round onto plate and freeze 5 minutes to firm. Reserve dough scraps for cookies. Place chilled dough round on tart; press to adhere and seal edges.
Bake tart until crust is brown, about 50 minutes. Remove sides of springform pan; cool tart completely on pan bottom. Maintain oven temperature.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out dough scraps on lightly floured work surface to scant ¼ inch thickness. Using 2-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer cutouts to prepared baking sheets. Repeat, using all of dough.
Bake cookies until golden, about 8 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets.
DO AHEAD: Tart and cookies can be made ahead. Cover separately and store at room temperature 1 day or chill up to 3 days.
Sift powdered sugar over top of tart. Place small dab of apricot preserves on back of 1 cookie; place at top edge of tart. Repeat with more cookies, forming border around tart. Transfer tart to platter. Let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour.
This dessert is kosher for Passover (with kosher almond extract), but don’t think of it as only a holiday treat. The nutty, cookie-like crust is the perfect foil for the strawberry filling. 12 servings
Filling
2 12-ounce containers strawberries, hulled, diced
¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoons Passover brandy
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juicePinch of ground cloves
Crust and BerriesMatzo cake meal
2 cups hazelnuts, toasted, husked
1 cup sugar
⅛ teaspoon saltPinch of ground cloves
1 large egg
¼ teaspoon almond extract
3 1-pint containers strawberries, hulled, thinly sliced
FILLING: Combine all ingredients in heavy large skillet. Stir over high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to boil. Boil until very thick, stirring frequently, about 13 minutes. Cool in pan.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Transfer to bowl, cover, and chill.
CRUST AND BERRIES: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 11-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom with heavy-duty foil, pressing firmly into scalloped sides of pan and overlapping sides. Grease foil and dust with cake meal. Finely grind nuts, sugar, salt, and cloves in processor Add egg and almond extract; process until mixture just holds together. Reserve ½ cup dough for another use. Using moistened fingertips, press remaining dough onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Bake until crust is golden and crinkled and feels dry, about 13 minutes. Cool crust completely in pan on rack. Remove tart pan sides. Carefully peel foil off crust. Return crust to pan.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap pan with tart tightly and store at room temperature.
Spread filling over crust. Starting at edge, cover tart with berry slices in overlapping concentric circles, with first circle leaning against crust edge.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 hours ahead. Chill.
Remove tart from pan. Cut into wedges and serve.
More to TryTurn the leftover dough from this recipe into soft, chewy macaroon cookies. Here’s how: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, place on prepared sheet, and, using wet fingertips, flatten to ½ inch thick. Bake the cookies until they begin to color, 10 to 12 minutes.
This rich dessert is like almond candy in a crust. Because the crust requires no chilling or baking prior to being filled, the entire tart can be made from start to finish in a little more than an hour. If you like, you can serve it with softly whipped, honey-sweetened cream. 8 to 10 servings
Crust
1¾ cups unbleached all purpose flour
⅓ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon (scant) salt
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
2 tablespoons (or more) ice water
Filling
1 cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup sugar
¼ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
¼ cup honey
2¼ cups sliced almonds, toasted
CRUST: Blend flour, powdered sugar, and salt in food processor. Add butter and orange peel. Using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if mixture is dry. Gather dough into ball. Break into small pieces and scatter over bottom of 10- to 10 ½-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Using fingertips, press dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of pan. Freeze crust 25 minutes.
FILLING: Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Combine cream, both sugars, and honey in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Continue to boil until mixture darkens and thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in almonds. Spoon filling evenly into crust.
Bake tart until filling is deep golden brown and bubbles thickly and crust is golden, about 38 minutes. Transfer tart to rack and cool completely in pan. Carefully remove pan sides from tart. Place tart on platter.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.
Cut tart into wedges and serve at room temperature.
The crust of this tart is like a shortbread cookie, and the rich filling is similar to a pecan pie—except that it features a variety of nuts and chocolate chips. Serve the tart warm so that the chocolate chips are nice and gooey. 10 to 12 servings
Crust
1½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
½ cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon chilled salted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 tablespoons (or more) chilled heavy whipping cream
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Filling
¾ cup whole almonds, toasted, cooled
¾ cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, cooled
¾ cup walnuts, toasted, cooled
¾ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
¼ cup (½ stick) salted butter, melted, cooled
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
CRUST: Blend flour and sugar in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons cream and vanilla extract. Using on/off turns, blend until moist clumps form, adding more cream by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together; break into small pieces and scatter over bottom of 11-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Using fingertips, press dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of pan.