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Banketletter, Saint Nicholas almond pastry letter

Banketletter, Saint Nicholas almond pastry letter

Baking

A Saint-Nicholas pastry: puff pastry wrapped around a lemon or orange almond filling, baked in the oven in the shape of a letter.

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Recipe from Anka, MediaWiki default, Mahjon99 and 4 other contributors, adapted by Recette de cuisine ·

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The banketletter is a traditional Saint-Nicolas pastry, typically given in the form of a letter.

Ingredients and directions

  • Prep time30 min
  • Cook time35 min
  • Total1 hr 5 min
  • DifficultyMedium
  • CostModerate
  • Cooking methodOven baking
  • Estimated cost$27.44 $3.43 / serving Estimated price; varies by store. Converted from euros at the ECB rate of October 15, 2026.
  • Vegetarian

Ingredients

8 people
  • $1.84
  • $0.16
  • $0.40
  • $0.06
  • $0.40
  • $24.58

Prices from US supermarkets for 4 of 6 ingredients; Belgian prices for the rest.

Directions

  1. Grind the almonds into a fine powder using a nut grinder.
  2. Add the sugar, egg, cream, and lemon or orange zest, then knead until a soft dough forms. ≈ 10 min
  3. If the dough seems too dry, add a little more egg to make it smooth. Reserve the remaining egg for glazing. ≈ 3 min
  4. Roll the almond paste into a log about 60 cm long. ≈ 10 min
  5. Arrange the puff pastry sheets next to each other, overlapping the edges by 1 cm. Press the edges firmly and smooth them with a rolling pin. This will create a strip approximately 62 x 10 cm. ≈ 3 min
  6. Place the almond paste in the center and wrap the dough around it. Press the edges firmly, and if necessary, moisten them slightly with a little water. ≈ 3 min
  7. Preheat the oven.
  8. Place the roll on the plate, with the seam facing down, and shape it into a letter or a stick. ≈ 10 min
  9. Whisk the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush over the pastry. ≈ 4 min
  10. Place the pastry in the center of the oven and bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until it is golden brown.

The bill

Banketletter, Saint Nicholas almond pastry letter

  • 200 g of blanched, sweet almonds$1.84
  • 200 g of light brown sugar$0.16
  • 1 egg$0.40
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon or orange zest$0.06
  • One more egg, for glazing$0.40
  • 7 to 8 sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed$24.58

Total$27.44

that's $3.43 per person

Estimated price; varies by store.

Equipment

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Before you start

Ingredients

  • 200 g of blanched, sweet almonds
  • 200 g of light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon or orange zest
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons of cream
  • One more egg, for glazing
  • 7 to 8 sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed

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