December 2006
Orange Tea Cakes with Hazelnut Honey Butter

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2¼ cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla extract
Grated orange zest from 1 orange
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 cup of sour cream or buttermilk

Butter 2 loaf pans generously and line the bottoms with parchment paper. 

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. 

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, vanilla extract, and orange zest.  In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients.  Add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream or buttermilk to the butter and sugar mixture.  Mix until smooth, but do not overbeat.  Divide evenly between loaf pans.  Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool completely. Wrap in decorative paper with the Hazelnut Honey Butter.

Hazelnut Honey Butter

1 cup hazelnuts
4 oz. of unsalted butter (1 stick)
¼ cup of honey

Preheat oven to 350˚

Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a towel.  Wrap them up and set aside to steam for 10 minutes.  When cool, rub them vigorously with the towel to remove the skins. Transfer the nuts to a food processor and finely grind them.  Add the butter and honey and process to blend well.  Serve with Orange Tea Cakes.

tes at 400ºF. Remove from oven. Place cranberry compote in each shell. Bake at 350ºF for 15 - 20 minutes until pastry is golden. Cool slightly. Remove from tart pans. Serve garnished with a sprig of fresh thyme.