Almond puff

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup finely ground blanched almonds
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 tablespoons dark rum
• White butcher's string
• 1 1/2 pounds of puff pastry (see recipe)
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

1. To make the filing, cream butter and sugar together.
2. Add egg and beat until smooth.
3. Add almonds, extract and rum.
4. Wrap the filling in plastic wrap and chill until it is hard.
5. To form the puff, roll the puff pastry on a floured board into a large square, 15 inches by 15 inches.
6. Pastry should be less than onequarter-inch thick.
7. Place chilled ball of filling in center of dough and gather up edges of pastry.
8. Tie a piece of string securely around pastry, totally enclosing the filling.
9. Cut off excess pastry with scissors.
10. Place puff on a baking sheet and chill for at least two hours.
11. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
12. Brush the puff with an egg glaze made of one egg yolk and two tablespoons of heavy cream.
13. Bake the puff for 20 minutes at 450 degrees, then reduce the heat to 425 degrees and continue baking until the pastry is a golden brown.
14. Remove from oven, slide the puff on a baking rack to cool.
15. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
16. Decorate, if desired, with a single perfect blossom.

butter, sugar, egg, ground blanched almonds, almond extract, dark rum, white butchers string, pastry, egg yolk, heavy cream

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/6136 (may not work)