Frangipani Tartlets

There was a sixteenth-century Italian Marquis Frangipani who invented perfume, but how or why his name was given to a pastry made of ground almonds is not clear. It doesn't matter; these tartlets are excellent, rich but not too sweet. They may be frozen either before or after baking.

PASTRY

2 1/2 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 hard-cooked egg yolks, mashed or sieved
2 raw egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

FRANGIPANI FILLING
MAKES 2 CUPS

8 ounces almond paste, at room temperature (see Note)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into several pieces
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

GARNISH

60 pieces of assorted fruit, such as sliced kumquats, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries
1 10-ounce jar of red currant jam, melted and cooled Confectioners sugar, sifted

1. To make the pastry, put the flour in a mound on a worktable or in a bowl. Make a well in the center and put the rest of the pastry ingredients in the well. Working quickly, using just your fingertips, make a paste of the center ingredients, gradually blending in more and more flour to make a firm ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

2. To make the filling, put the almond paste in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until uniform and crumbly. With the machine running, add the butter piece by piece through the feed tube and process until smooth. Add the eggs in a slow steady stream. Then add the lemon rind, flour, salt, sugar, and extracts. Process until well blended and set aside.

3. Roll out the pastry between pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Using a biscuit cutter, cut the dough into circles slightly larger than miniature muffin tins or 3-inch tartlet pans, and gently ease it into the pans, which need not be greased. Chill or freeze the pastry shells for 1 hour or more.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fill the pastry shells three quarters full with the frangipani filling. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the filling is set. Do not overbake. Let cool on racks.

5. If desired, top with sliced kumquats, raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries and brush with red current glaze, or dust with confectioners' sugar.

N0TE: Almond paste sometimes comes in a 7-ounce package. If you use this amount, reduce the butter in the filling by 1 tablespoon.

MAKES ABOUT SIXTY MINIATURE OR THIRTY 3-INCH TARTLETS