A Raspberry Kringle With Almond for Christmas

For years we would buy an Entenmann's Raspberry Danish to serve on Christmas along with our fruit salad, scrambled eggs and bacon. Then they stopped making that pastry (or stopped selling it here...not sure which) and I had to figure out a substitute.

Until a few years ago the search was unsuccessful. Pastries from other sources were just not good enough and my attempt at making one was also less than successful.

Two years ago I saw that King Arthur Flour website had a recipe for a Pecan and caramel Kringle that sounded delicious and I decided to see if I could adapt it to make a Raspberry and Almond version. It was good, so last year I repeated it but baked it on Christmas morning...not so successful because I was distracted.

This year I baked it on Christmas Eve in the evening and then let it sit in the microwave overnight, then finished the raspberry jam, toasted almond slices and lemon glaze in the morning. It was exceptional! Pastry on the bottom, a hidden bit of almond paste gave a great almond flavor and additional texture, then puff pastry on top puffed up in the oven but sank overnight which made it easy to spoon on raspberry jam and spread it out, then top with the almond, then drizzle with the glaze. The hint of lemon in the glaze went so well with the other flavors. I highly recommend this pastry! Don't wait for next Christmas...invent an excuse to bake it.

There are six parts to this pastry, but each is easy, so relax and take them one at a time.

First you make the pastry bottom. Cut or rub the cold butter or margarine into the flour mixture just like for pie crust, then sprinkle the water in a little at a time, as you should do for pie crust. Gather the moist bits together and shape with wet hand into a ring on the prepared sheet pan or pizza pan.

Secondly you create a rope of almond paste by rolling it with your hands into a rope on a surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar. The rope gets flattened a bit, then placed in the center of the pastry ring.

The third part isn't difficult, but you need to have everything ready when you start. You will be making the same kind of dough used for cream puffs and eclairs. It starts out being cooked in a pot, then gets transferred to a bowl, where you beat in the eggs, one at a time, with a wooden spoon. That mixture gets spooned and smoothed over the ring, completely enclosing it, and then all the components, now joined, get baked until medium golden brown like the photo above (although this photo above shows a kringle that has cooled and deflated a bit).

At this point you can put the pastry aside as I did, or you can let it cool and then put on the jam, almonds and glaze. The kringle with jam and almonds is shown below and the finished kringle at the top. Have fun with it! You can change the kind of jam and it will still be delicious!

Almond Raspberry Kringle
Based on a recipe from King Arthur Flour

BASE

• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) non-dairy margarine, cut into pats
• 1 cup  all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 4 oz. almond paste

PASTRY TOPPING

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) non-dairy margarine
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
•  3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

FILLING

• about 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
• 2-3 tablespoons sliced almonds

GLAZE

• 1 cup confectioners'  sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy milk, enough to make a thick but pourable glaze
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) a baking sheet that's at least 18" x 13"; or a 14" round pizza pan.
2. To make the base: Combine the margarine, flour, sugar and salt, mixing until crumbly. I used a pastry blender to cut the fat into the flour mixture. Add the water, and stir to make a soft, sticky dough. I used a fork and added the water slowly as I do for pie crust.
3. Wet your hands, pick up the dough, and shape it into a 12" x 8" oval ring on the sheet pan; or a 10" ring in the pizza pan. This will be messy going, but just keep wetting your fingers and pushing it into a ring. An easy way to approach this is to first divide the dough into four pieces; roll each piece into a 9" rope, then connect the ropes and shape them into a ring.
4. Once you've made the ring, flatten the dough so it's about 1 1/2" wide; basically, it'll look like a train or NASCAR track. Make a thin rope out of the almond paste and put it over the dough, connecting the ends so that the whole 'track' has a ring of almond paste in the middle of the track.
5. To make the pastry topping: Place the water, margarine, and salt in a saucepan, and heat over medium heat until the margarine is melted and the mixture is boiling.
6. Immediately add the flour, stirring with a spatula until the mixture is cohesive and starts to form a ball.
7. Transfer the batter to a mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Add the almond extract at the end.
8. Spread the pastry along the ring, covering it and the almond paste completely; you'll now have a much wider ring, though it won't be completely closed in the center; it should still look like a ring.
9. Bake the kringle for 50 to 60 minutes, until it's a deep golden brown. When the kringle is done, remove it from the oven, and allow it to cool completely on the pan.
10. To add the filling: First, have the sliced almonds all ready beside the pan of kringle; you'll be sprinkling them atop the jam as soon as you put it on.

1. Stir the jam with a fork to break it up and then spread it over the kringle in a thin, even layer, mostly in the middle. Sprinkle sliced almonds atop the raspberry jam, pressing them in gently. Allow the kringle to cool completely.
2. To make the glaze: Stir together the confectioners' sugar, salt, flavor almond extract and enough soy milk to make a pourable glaze. Drizzle it over the kringle.
3. To serve, cut the kringle in 2" slices.

If you prefer, you can bake the base, almond paste and cooked dough topping the day before serving, then wrap well and let sit on the counter overnight. In the morning add the jam and glaze.