Leipzig Larks

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 250 g flour, for the dough
• 1 egg(s) , for the dough
• 1 tsp brandy, for the dough
• 70 g sugar, for the dough
• 125 g butter, for the dough
• some salt, for the dough
• 125 g butter, for the filling
• 250 g apricot jam, for the filling
• 150 g icing sugar, for the filling
• 75 g flour, for the filling
• 1 tbsp cornstarch, for the filling
• 1 egg yolk, for the filling
• 4 egg whites, for the filling
• 150 g almond(s), grated sweet, for the filling
• some bitter almond flavoring, for the filling

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Marzipan pastries – Saxon cuisine

Sift the flour into a large bowl. Then add the egg, brandy, and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle the sugar over the flour and drizzle with the melted butter. Mix the flour into a dough and let it stand for about 30 minutes. For the filling, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add all the other ingredients except the jam and egg whites. Beat the egg whites until stiff and carefully fold into the mixture. Then, while chilling, roll out the dough to a thickness of 0.5 cm. Grease small tart cases about 6 cm in diameter with butter and line with the dough. Pour the sieved jam over the flour, then the filling. Place two strips of the remaining dough crosswise to finish. Bake the larks in a preheated oven at about 180°C for 20 minutes. Turn the cases out, turning them over immediately. In the 18th and 19th centuries, millions of heath and skylarks from the Leipzig region were caught in frying pans and smokehouses, packed in boxes, and exported as far away as Russia. When their capture was banned, Leipzig bakers created a marzipan tartlet as a substitute, replicating the bird’s skin wrapped in strips of bacon.