RONDO'S for Pam

250 g (all-purpose) flour
200 g butter, cold and diced
160 g soft white sugar
1/2 egg (about 25 g)
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp baking powder

300 g almondpaste
25 g water
17 amarena cherries, drained (the one you buy in syrup)(optional)
1/2 egg, beaten
17 almonds, whole

Mix the flour, lemon zest, baking powder, sugar and 1/2 egg in a bowl. Add the butter and knead this quickly in to a smooth dough. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the refrigerator. Preferably one day ahead.

Preheat the oven to 380ºF. Grease the rings and place them on a bakingsheet with baking parchment. Mix the almondpaste with the water until smooth.

Take the dough out of the fridge and give it a short knead. Roll out , about 1/6". and cut out circles that fit the rings. (if you use a muffintin, measure the bottom and the top diameter of the molds and cut out these two sizes.

Place a dough disk on the bottom and scoop (or use a pastry bag with a plain tip) a little of the almondpaste in the middle, leaving 1/4" free around the edge. Place a cherry in the middle. This is optional, but gives a great surprise of flavour if you bite into the rondo.
Put another circle on top. No need to push it down or cover the sides. Brush with the eggwash, place a almond on top and eggwash again. Bake the rondo's for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Take them out of the molds at once (carefully) and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

You're in for a real dutch treat...enjoy!

Upside-down Chicory Cheesecake

Passed on to me by Ingrid.

Serves 6 to 10
Difficulty - easy!
Preparation time - 20 minutes
Cooking time - 2 hours
Suggested wine - Fairview Viognier

Ingredients
3 medium-sized heads of chicory
1 cup cream
Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
Grated nutmeg for seasoning
3 eggs
500 g low-fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon flour
50 g toasted breadcrumbs (I bought the ready-to-use ones, but you can make them yourself...)
⅓ cup Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra shavings for serving
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Chives or Italian flat leaf parsley for serving

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2. Line a 30 cm round springform or loose-bottomed cake tin with a round of baking paper. Cut two rounds of the same size and set one aside for later.
3. Cut the ends off the chicory, then slice lengthways.
4. In an saucepan over a medium heat, simmer the chicory in the cream, covered, for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until just cooked but still tender-crisp.
5. Strain over a bowl, reserving the liquid.
6. Arrange the chicory in the prepared cake tin.
7. Blend the eggs, cream cheese, flour and reserved liquid, and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
8. Pour into the tin. Mix the breadcrumbs with the Parmesan and melted butter, and sprinkle on top.
9. Butter the last round of baking paper well on one side, and place on top of the breadcrumbs.
10. Bake on a baking tray for about 90 minutes or until set. Turn off the heat and leave in the oven for another 10 minutes.
11. Remove and cool for a further 10 minutes.
12. Invert onto a serving platter, top with shavings of Parmesan and sprinkle with roughly chopped chives or flat leaf parsley. Serve warm.