ORANGE-ALMOND CHOCOLATE LOGS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cream the butter, almond paste and 1/2 teaspoon orange zest until light and fluffy. In a microwave, melt white baking chocolate; stir until smooth. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Slowly stir in orange juice. Beat until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until easy to handle, stirring occasionally., Shape into 2-in. logs; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Combine coarse sugar and remaining orange zest; set aside., In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip logs in chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with sugar mixture. Let stand until firm.

NIGELLA LAWSON FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE ORANGE CAKE

Steps:

• Put the whole orange or oranges in a pan with some cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 2 hours or until soft.
• Drain, and when cool, cut the oranges in half and remove any big pips.
• Then pulp everything - pith, peel and all - in a food processor.
• Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C Butter and line a 20cm springform tin.
• Add the eggs, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, almonds, sugar and cocoa to the orange in the food processor. Run the motor until you have a cohesive cake mixture, but slightly knobbly with the flecks of puréed orange.
• Pour and scrape into the cake tin and bake for an hour, by which time a cake tester should come out pretty well clean. Check after 45 minutes because you may have to cover with foil to prevent the cake burning before it is cooked through, or indeed it may need a little less than an hour; it all depends on your oven.
• Leave the cake to get cool in the tin, on a cooling rack. When the cake is cold you can take it out of the tin. Decorate with strips of orange peel or coarsely grated zest if you so wish, but it is darkly beautiful in its plain, unadorned state.

ORANGE ALMOND BISCOTTI II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a baking sheet.
• In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, almonds, and orange zest. Make a well in the center and add the eggs oil, and almond extract. Stir or mix by hand until the mixture forms a ball.
• Separate dough into 2 pieces and roll each one into a log about 8 inches long. Place logs on prepared baking sheet and flatten so they are about 3/4 inch thick. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly, and remove from baking sheets. Slice diagonally into 1/2 inch slices with a serrated knife. Set cookies on side back onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 15 more minutes, turning over after half of the time. Finished cookies should be hard and crunchy.

ORANGE-ALMOND CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Dust with flour; tap out excess. Using vegetable peeler, remove peel (orange part only) in strips from oranges. Coarsely chop enough peel to measure 1/2 cup. Combine flour, 1 cup almonds, baking powder and salt in processor; blend until finely ground. Transfer to medium bowl. Place 2 cups sugar and orange peel in processor; blend until peel is finely minced.
• Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until blended. Add sugar mixture and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix milk and both extracts in small bowl. On low speed, beat flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with milk mixture in 3 additions each. Divide batter among prepared pans.
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 5 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely. Boil 1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice and remaining generous 1 tablespoon sugar in small saucepan until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 8 minutes. Brush warm juice mixture over tops of cooled cakes.
• Place 1 cake layer, orange syrup side up, on cake platter. Spread 1 cup Chocolate Icing over. Top with second cake layer, then 1 cup icing. Top with third cake layer, syrup side up. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.) Arrange additional almonds, orange triangles and mint leaves around top edge of cake. Slice cake and serve.

ALMOND LOGS

Steps:

• Prepare the Ultimate Cookie Dough and divide it into four equal parts. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes or refrigerate up to 4 days. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper, or use a clean, ungreased baking sheet. Place the egg white into a shallow dish or pie pan. Mix the almonds and sugar into another shallow dish or pie pan.
• Remove one portion of the dough from the refrigerator and knead lightly until it is pliable. Divide the dough into 2 parts. Shape each part into a strand about 12 inches long.
• Dip each strand first in the egg white, coating the strand on all sides, then roll the strand in the almond sugar mixture. Place the coated strands on the prepared baking sheet and cut each strip into 8 equal pieces. Separate each cookie slightly for baking.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until very lightly browned.

ALMOND AND ORANGE-CRUSTED HONEY GOAT CHEESE LOG

Steps:

• Unwrap cheese and set out at room temperature until slightly softened.
• Mix almonds and orange pieces together on a plate. Roll cheese log in orange and almond mixture.

CHOCOLATE-ORANGE TRUFFLES WITH ALMONDS

Steps:

• Line 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking pan with foil. Bring cream to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Whisk in Grand Marnier and orange peel. Pour into prepared pan; freeze just until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Using foil as aid lift chocolate block out of pan; place on work surface. Flatten foil at edges. Cut chocolate into 25 squares. Place nuts in small bowl. Press chocolate square into nuts, coating completely. Roll truffle between palms into ball. Repeat with remaining chocolate and nuts. Cover; chill until very firm, about 2 hours. Serve cold.