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–+ servings

Sbrisolona

To toast the almonds, spread them on a baking sheet and toast them in a 350ºF/180ºC oven for about ten minutes, stirring them midway during baking. Let cool completely before grinding in the food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can grind the almonds and flour in a blender, pulsing them until they're in smaller pieces. If you don't have a square cake pan, a similar pan that's about the same size would work, such as a springform or tart pan, although the Sbrisolona will be thicker as round pans have less capacity. I have seen recipes where people pat the mixture directly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet into a rough approximation of the size of a 9- 10-inch (23-25cm) pan, and baking it that way, although I haven't tried it. If you do, let us know in the comments how it works out. Some variations include using hazelnuts instead of almonds, adding some anise seeds (perhaps about 1 teaspoon), or a bit of cinnamon to the dough. For more crunch, replace the 1/4 cup (45g) of brown sugar with granulated sugar, for a total of 3/4 cups (150g) granulated sugar. The brown sugar adds a touch of toffee-like flavor, but does make the Sbrisolona slightly softer. If you have granulated brown sugar, such as turbinado, demerara, or another raw cane sugar, use that. One tip from my friend Judy Witts Francini, of Divina Cucina, is to splash the hot Sbrisolona with grappa, which she says "gives it a nice kick." I'm sure it does!
Servings 10 servings
  • 1 1/2 cups (170g) almonds, lightly toasted
  • 1 1/4 cups (175g) flour
  • 3/4 cup (110g) stone-ground cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (45g) packed, light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 8 ounces (1 cup, 225g), unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 teaspoon (each) vanilla and almond extract
  • zest of one orange, unsprayed or organic
  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Butter a 9- or 10-inch (23-25cm) square cake pan or tart pan. (See headnote.)
  • In the bowl of a food processor, pulse 1 cup (110g) almonds with 1/4 cup (35g) of the flour until the almonds are in fine pieces, but not too fine - about the size of small peas or diamonds. (Unlike diamonds, it's not problem - and even better - if they are very irregular.) Transfer the almonds with the flour to a large bowl. Pulse the rest of the almonds until they are very coarsely chopped, but in large, recognizable pieces.
  • Mix in the rest of the flour to the bowl and mix in the cornmeal, granulated and brown sugar, and salt. Add the butter cubes to the bowl and use your fingers (or a pastry blender) to cut in the butter by working in the cubes of butter, rubbing them with your fingers against the flour and cornmeal, until they are well-dispersed and about the size of kernels of small peas. Like the almonds, the bits of butter can be irregular, and some in larger chunks than others.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the egg yolks with the almond and vanilla extracts, and the orange zest. Add the yolks to the Sbrisolona mixture and stir with your hands, mixing and squeezing it a bit, until the dough starts to clump together.
  • Transfer the dough into the prepared pan and spread it out so that it's somewhat even, but don't press it down or compact it. Bake the Sbrisolona until it's golden brown across the top, about 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely before removing it from the pan in rough chunks. It will not come out cleanly, but that's okay; it's meant to be served in pieces.

Notes

Serving: Serve the sbrisolona with dessert wine, coffee, or even as a breakfast treat.
Storage: The sbrisolona can be broken in pieces and stored in an air-tight container for up to 5 days, at room temperature. It can be frozen for up to two months.