Almond Buttercreams

The Recipe Below won the best christmas cookie and she used our hand rolled butter that she purchased from LW Dairy/Sendiks.

Almond Buttercreams

Makes: about 4 dozen

Ingredients:

2 ounces (½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons) blanched sliced or slivered almonds

1 ¼ cups flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup cornstarch

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon pure almond extract

Filling (see recipe)

For filling:

½ cup best-quality salted butter, room temperature (if using unsalted, add a pinch of salt)

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons amaretto, Frangelico or rum (see note)

1 teaspoon heavy whipping cream

2 to 3 drops vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toast almonds until lightly browned and fragrant, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely, then pulverize in a food processor until finely ground. Set aside.

In clean food processor, pulse flour, salt, cornstarch and powdered sugar to blend, then add butter and flavorings and pulse until mixture forms a cohesive mass of dough.

Turn out onto lightly floured work surface and divide into 2 pieces. Using lightly floured hands, roll one piece into a log about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Scatter some ground almonds on work surface next to dough log, then roll dough into almonds until it is lightly coated. Roll dough log onto a sheet of plastic wrap, seal, and chill until firm - at least one hour and up to a week. Or, freeze up to 2 months. Repeat with second piece of dough.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with silicone, parchment or foil (ungreased). With a thin sharp knife, slice dough into rounds about 1/8-inch thick. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven 8 to 12 minutes, or until just barely starting to color on edges. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool completely.

Spread half the cookies with a thin layer of buttercream. Press plain cookies to iced cookies to form sandwiches. Cookies keep in tightly sealed container at room temperature at least 10 days. Freeze filled cookies up to 2 months.

Note: If you do not have a food processor, dough can be mixed using a hand or stand mixer. In this case, butter must be at room temperature. Use the lowest speed on your mixer. It may take up to 5 minutes for the dough to bind. For the almonds, you can buy already-ground almonds and toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking pan rapidly over the burner until almonds are lightly toasted; this will take only a couple of minutes.

Filling:

With rubber spatula, mix all ingredients together in small bowl.

Note: 3 to 4 drops of almond extract can be substituted.

Rhubarb Torte

Shrimp Scampi

Submitted By: David Williamson

Why You Use Alcam Butter:

It has the perfect butter taste and also melts in a very even way, whether on toast or in the frying pan.

Ingredients:

1 lb shrimp, raw w/o shells

1 diced red bell pepper

1 diced small yellow onion

6-8 minced garlic cloves

olive oil

pinch of Kosher Salt

a couple coarse grinds of black pepper

about a 1/4" slice of Alcam rolled butter

1/2 lemon

Preparation:

1. Saute the onions and peppers in some olive oil, sprinkle the salt and pepper on them while they cook
2. Just before they get a little soft (not too long) add the garlic and sautee 30 sec or so, then add the shrimp and in about 20 seconds add the butter.
3. As soon as the shrimp curl (even if the butter is not all totally melted) remove from the heat, sqeeze the lemon on it and serve over pasta or with toast or French Bread.
4. Garnish with a little grated parmesan if desired.

Note:

The butter brings out the flavor in the shrimp and also cools off the pan slightly so the garlic stops cooking and does not burn. Alcam rolled butter really melts nicely and evenly and tastes great!