Banket

Every Christmas, it is Dutch tradition to make banket. Banket is basically a butter pastry over an almond paste filling. Having grown up in the middle of almond orchards, I have developed this strange and unusual addiction... I eat almond paste straight out of the can. Yes, I am just that nutty.

This is how we prepare the banket. The rolled-out pastry is laid across the baking sheet and a line of filling is spread down the middle. Typically in Holland the sticks are made into your first initial, but it can be really time consuming, especially if you have a curved initial. I have only tried to do it once, and they all broke. Pastry is a finicky beast. Which explains why this picture looks so good--my mom made this batch. She is the pastry pro.


It is so good when it's done! I can't count the number of times I've burned my tongue on fresh banket. Put a hot cup of coffee with it and you have bliss... and no taste buds the next day. Totally worth it.