Ingredients
1/2 pound whole blanched almonds
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons ice water
1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
Preparation
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast 8 to 10 minutes, shaking pan occasionally; do not brown. Let cool. Finely grind in a spice grinder. You will have about a cup.
Combine almonds, flour, sugar, salt, spices, and zest in a food processor. Add butter and process with short pulses until mixture resembles coarse meal.
In a small bowl, combine egg yolks, ice water, and extract. With machine running, add yolk mixture to processor. Process for no longer than 30 seconds. If mixture does not hold together when squeezed, add additional water, a few teaspoons at a time, until it does.
Wrap in plastic and chill about 1 hour.
