Almond Crusted Chicken Breasts

This kid-friendly chicken also works well for an elegant meal.

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Total: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 ¹/₂ cups sliced almonds
• 4 each chicken breasts, boneless, skinless and cut in half
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• ¹/₄ cup flour
• 1 each large egg, beaten
• ¹/₄ cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 ¹/₂ teaspoons fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

STEP 1 

Using your hands, lightly crush almonds into small pieces; set aside. Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap. Pound the chicken lightly with a mallet or meat pounder. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour. Dip chicken in beaten egg. Press each chicken breast in almonds, covering chicken well. Place on buttered baking sheet. Bake at 425°F for 10-15 minutes, until chicken is just firm and almonds are golden. Internal temperature should be at 165. Meanwhile heat butter, lemon juice and basil in a skillet. Drizzle over cooked chicken breasts.

 
Source: kroger.com

Pear-Almond Slab Pie

What's a "slab" pie? I used to call them "pie bars" because they are really just pie ingredients baked in a jelly-roll pan and cut into squares for serving. Slab pies are great to make for a crowd because you can cut them into 24 servings (a pie will serve 6 to 8), they are easier to transport than four pies and you don't have to flute the edges of the crust.

Ingredients:


Prep Time:

Start to Finish:


6 servings


1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box
1 package (2.5 oz) sliced almonds (about 2/3 cup)
1 tablespoon Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
4 small or 3 large ripe pears, peeled, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
3 cups ice cream, if desired


Directions:

Heat oven to 400°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove pie crust form pouch; unroll on parchment paper. Roll to 11-inch square. Cut ½-inch wide strips of crust from each side of square. Brush edges of dough with water; place dough strips along each edge to create border. Crimp edges of crust with fingers, if desired.

Reserve 2 tablespoons almonds. In food processor bowl with metal blade, place remaining almonds, flour and ¼ cup sugar. Cover; process until almonds are finely ground. Add butter, egg, vanilla, salt and almond extract. Cover; process until a smooth paste forms. Spread almond mixture over crust.

Arrange pear slices over almond mixture in 3 or 4 rows. Sprinkle reserved almonds over pears. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over top. Bake 25 to 28 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Tips:
Pears must be very ripe for the best flavor and appearance. If they are not ripe enough, they will brown while baking and will have a dry texture.
Serve with ice cream. The ice cream, in the photo below, is Brown Sugar Ice Cream that I made to serve with the pie.

Click Here for the tutorial for this recipe.


Source: bettycrocker.com / Andi Bidwell

Lemon-Almond Tarts

Vanilla wafers make a simple crumb crust for the lemon-almond custard filling of these refreshing tarts. Sweet, fresh raspberries top the custard and complete the flavor combination.

Ingredients:

• Vanilla Wafer Crusts
• 75 vanilla wafers
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• Lemon-Almond Filling
• 1 (7-oz.) package almond paste
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2/3 cup lemon curd
• 2 (6-oz.) packages fresh raspberries
• Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

Directions:

1. Prepare Crusts: Preheat oven to 350°. Pulse vanilla wafers in a food processor 8 to 10 times or until finely crushed. Stir together crushed wafers, powdered sugar, and butter in a medium bowl. Press crumb mixture on bottom and up sides of 6 lightly greased 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms. Place on a baking sheet.

2. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely (about 30 minutes).

3. Meanwhile, prepare Filling: Reduce oven temperature to 325°. Beat almond paste and next 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended. Pour mixture into crusts.

4. Bake at 325° for 18 to 20 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown around edges. Let cool on a wire rack 30 minutes. Spread 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon curd onto each tart. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours. Remove tarts from pans, and top with raspberries just before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Note: 

 

Find almond paste in the baking aisle, either in a tube-shaped plastic wrapper (which we call for in this recipe) or a can. If you find it only in a can, use 3/4 cup. We tested with Odense Pure Almond Paste.

Southern Living
JUNE 2010

Raspberry-Almond Pear Tart

Vanilla wafer crumbs and almonds add flavor and texture to this raspberry and pear tart.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts
• 1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened and divided
• 4 large pears, peeled and quartered
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg 
• 1/2 cup vanilla wafer crumbs
• 1/2 cup ground toasted almonds
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

1. Unroll piecrust, and fit into a 9-inch tart pan; trim excess.
2. Bake at 400° for 5 minutes; remove from oven, and cool completely on a wire rack. Spread raspberry jam evenly on bottom of prepared piecrust.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add pears, and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and arrange pear slices over raspberry jam.
4. Beat remaining 4 tablespoons butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg, beating until blended. Stir in vanilla wafer crumbs, almonds, and almond extract; spread evenly over pears.
5. Bake at 400° for 20 to 25 minutes or until browned; cool on a wire rack.

Southern Living
OCTOBER 2005

 

Chocolate Almond Mini Cakes

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Duncan Hines® Classic White Cake Mix
3 large egg whites
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups water
1 can Duncan Hines® Frosting Creations™ Frosting Starter
1 packet Duncan Hines® Frosting Creations™ Chocolate Almond Flavor Mix
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
¼ cup sliced almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9" x 13" baking pan.

Prepare cake batter as directed on package.

Fill pan and bake 32 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.

Let cool completely.

Using a 21/2" round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, cut out 8 circles of cake.

Pour packet of Duncan Hines® Frosting Creations™ Chocolate Almond Flavor Mix into can of Duncan Hines® Frosting Creations™ Frosting Starter. Stir until evenly blended.

Frost top and sides of cakes with the Chocolate Almond frosting you just created.

Gently pat shredded coconut onto sides of cake.

Top cakes with a few sliced almonds and serve.

Tip:

Crumble the leftover cake scraps and mix with frosting. Roll into balls to make cake pops or cake truffles.