Sand Tarts--an Old Philadelphia Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Mix the flour, sugar, butter, and eggs together, leaving out the egg whites, and add one-half pound of blanched almonds.
Shape and bake
Roll out the dough into cakes and wash them well with stiffly beaten egg whites.
Fill the cakes with pieces of almond.
Dust the cakes with cinnamon and sugar, then bake in a hot oven.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Egg yolks enrich the dough, while whipped whites give the cakes a glossy, set surface when washed on.
- Flour (in the method)
- Provides the structure that holds the dough together and sets as the cakes bake.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat that tenderizes the dough and gives it a rich, crumbly texture.
- Almonds (in the method)
- Pieces inside the cakes add nutty flavor and a contrasting texture to the tender dough.
The step that matters
Washing the cakes with stiffly beaten egg whites. Whites beaten until stiff hold their foam and form a thin, even coat that sets and browns in the oven. Loose whites soak in, run off, or bake into a dull, uneven surface.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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