Last night I decided to try an almond torte with cherries and cream. The BC cherries are fantastic and I get raw cream from our local herd-share fresh every week, in fact I have just gotten back from picking up my share.

The almonds probably come from California. I did find a online farm-stand that would ship me nuts from the farm in 30 lb boxes, but I haven’t gotten around to doing that yet. Most almonds are pasteurized these days, unfortunately. As usual my oven burnt the hell out of my tortes. As a result I use a lower temperature for a longer time that might normally be used for a torte, feel free to experiment with the temperature.

Torte:

• 1c ground almonds
• 1 pod cardamom (seeds removed and ground with almonds)
• 4 egg whites
• 2T honey
• dash salt

Filling:

• 2 lb fresh cherries, pitted
• 1/2 c water
• 1 handful dates
• dash rosewater

Method:
For the torte, whip the egg whites with the dash of salt until they form stiff peaks. Whip in the honey and gently fold into the ground almonds and cardamom seeds. Place mixture on well greased trays (or use baking paper). I like to divide the mixture into four on two trays. Spread the mixture out to about a 3/4 of an inch thick and in a circle. Bake at about 250 to 300 degrees F for around 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them and don’t let them burn on the bottom.

For the cherry filling. I advise soaking the dates in boiling water for about 5 minutes and put them through a tami or puree them so any skins are removed. Heat the cherries and water gently in a saucepan with the lid on until they are hot, then remove the lid and add the dates and reduce the juices down. Turn the heat off and cool slightly before adding the rose water.

To make the torte, whip fresh cream and add honey. On one layer of torte add the cherries and then the cream. Put another layer of torte and repeat. Actually this is even tastier the next day as the juices of the cherries are absorbed by the torte, but feel free to eat it the same day, there is no harm done :). This filling can be made with different fruits quite successfully, stewed apricots, peaches, plums or strawberries may be some alternatives.

Almond Torte With Cream & Cherries