OMA'S CHIRSTMAS TREAT

Each family have their own Christmas traditions. Yours may involve wearing matching pyjamas while watching movies on Christmas eve, or the latest craze of 'elf on a shelf'. Whatever you do, your traditions are repeated year after year, creating everlasting memories from childhood to adulthood, reinforcing the values that are important at this time of year.

One tradition which is a Reymer family favourite is to have 'kerstkrans' - a traditional Dutch Christmas treat. Simple yet delicious, it is a tiny yet important part of celebrating the Christmas season. The Reymer family are not alone, and this is a favourite for many families with Dutch heritage.

Today we are sharing with you our recipe, guided by Oma's own, which we aim to replicate year after year, to create a Christmas tradition of our own.

Kerstkrans Christmas Treat

Ingredients

2 cups blanched almonds

Zest of 1 lemon

1 egg

150g castor sugar

Puff pastry (store-bought, or made yourself)

1 tablespoon apricot jam, approximately

Glace cherries for decoration

Method

Start by making the almond paste. Blitz the almonds until they're in a powder consistency, then add the sugar, egg and lemon zest. Mix well until a paste is formed, then store in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees and prepare a baking tray with baking paper.

Roll out your pastry into a strip approximately 10cm by 50cm. Roll out the almond filling into a roll slightly shorter than your pastry and place in the middle of the pastry. Fold the pastry around the almond filling and press together until you have a pastry covered almond roll. Twist the ends of the roll into a wreath, and use water to join together.

Place the wreath on the baking sheet. Make the glaze by heating the apricot jam with a little water, and then brush over the wreath. Add the cherries in equal intervals across the top of the pastry.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden and delicious. Once cool, cut into small pieces and serve.