Almond Torte

Evan and I are a match made in heaven. He loves to bake, and I love to eat the products of his baking. Last Christmas, my parents discovered a recipe for almond torte. Being the wonderful people they are, they made modifications to make this delectable dessert "Evan friendly." From that time on, we make this almond torte when we want a fancy dessert. The best thing about this dessert is that you can top it with almost anything and make it your very own. We like berries, and I like chocolate. Anyway, here is the recipe! I hope you like it.

Ingredients


3/4 cup whole almonds or almond meal
Butter (enough to coat bottom of a 2qt baking dish)
1 tbsp plus 1/2 cup honey
4 large eggs, separated
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt

Directions


1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add almonds and cook 2 minutes. Drain, rinse almonds with cold water, and slip off and discard skins. Pat dry with a kitchen towel and set aside (if using almond meal, you may skip this step).
2) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix butter and 1 tbsp honey together and coat inside of a 2qt or 10 inch baking dish.
3) In a blender or a food processor, whirl almonds until finely ground (be careful not grind them into almond butter). If using almond meal you can skip this step.
4) In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks with remaining 1/2 cup honey for several minutes until pale yellow and thick. Gently stir in almond meal or ground almonds and almond extract. Set aside.
4) In a large clean bowl, beat together egg whites and salt until firm and peaks form. Stir 1/3 of the whites into yolk-almond mixture to combine thoroughly, then gently fold in remaining whites. Pour batter into prepared dish and bake until set and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Serve topped with your favorite toppings!