Preparation / Directions:
Cream butter and sugar with grated orange rind until light and fluffy; beat in egg yolks. Sift flour and salt into butter mixture to form a soft dough.
Lightly grease a round 20 cm (12 inch) dish (a "tapsi") or a 25 x 30 cm (10 x 12 inch) baking dish. As pastry moulds easily any tears can be pressed together. An alternative is to put pastry in dish without rolling, and press it over base and sides with fingers. Even out by rolling with a straight-sided glass.
Bake in a moderately hot oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly colored. Remove and cool.
To make almond filling, beat egg yolks, sugar and almond essence until thick and light. Sift flour with baking powder and combine with ground almonds. Fold this lightly into beaten egg yolks. Beat egg whites with salt until stiff but not dry and fold lightly into almond mixture. Pour into pastry-lined dish.
On a flat surface butter a fillo pastry sheet, top with another and butter. Continue until all sheets are used. Leave a top sheet unbuttered. Lift onto top of almond filling and trim edges of fillo in line with pastry crust, using kitchen scissors. Brush top with remaining butter. With a sharp knife or razor blade make slits through the top 2 or 3 sheets running the length of the dish and spacing them 4 cm (1 1/2 inches) apart.
Bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes until top is golden and filling is set. Meanwhile dissolve sugar in water over medium heat, add fruit rinds, lemon juice and cinnamon bark and bring to the boil. Boil for 10 minutes, strain and cool. When torte is cooked, cut through slits in pastry down to the bottom crust. Pour cooled syrup over hot torte, leave until cool. Cut diagonally to give diamond-shaped pieces for serving.
Source: The Complete Middle East Cookbook by Tess Mallos. ISBN:1 86302 069 1.
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