Almondines

Preheat oven to 200 C/400 F. Line an 8-inch square tin with with non-stick foil or parchment paper and leave a 2-inch paper/foil overhang on two ends of the dish.

You can do this using a food processor or by hand.

If using the food processor: Place the the flour, almond meal, sugar and salt in the processor bowl and pulse a few time to mix. Add the cubed butter and process until mixture resembles damp sand. Tip the yolk, water and the vanilla into the food processor through the chute and pulse until the dough comes together when pinched. You may have to scrape the sides down once. Add a little extra water if necessary.

If mixing by hand: Place the the flour, almond meal, sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk well to mix. Cut in the butter until the mix resembles damp sand.

In a small bowl whisk the egg yolk , vanilla and water then add it into the flour mixture. Using your hands, mix until dough holds together when pinched. Add a little extra water if necessary

Once the base is prepared: Press the crumbly dough into your prepared pan. I wet the bottom of a flat bottomed glass and tamped it down gently until the base of the pan was covered. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly coloured. Remove from oven and set aside when done.

In the meantime, make the topping. Place the butter in a small pan to melt over medium-low heat. Once butter is melted add the zest, honey, salt and vanilla and stir until the honey has melted and everything is thoroughly mixed. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond flakes.

Tip out the topping onto the warm base and spread it out as evenly as possible. There will be a bit of liquid but don’t worry—just spread it as evenly as you can. Bake for another 10-12 minutes until the almonds are golden. Remove from oven and set pan on a rack.

Let the bars cool in the pan for 10 or 15 minutes, then using the foil/baking parchment as handles, remove it from pan and lay on a wire rack to finish cooling.

I find that the best way to slice these sort of bakes is as follows: Using a long sharp knife slice the bake in half. Then slice each half into two equal slices so you now have 4 long equal slices. Spin the paper a quarter turn and do the same again—slice in half and then slice each half in two. You should have 16 fairly equal squares.

Store in an airtight tin and eat within two or three days if they last that long!