INGREDIENTS:

Puff pastry: 

1 cup of flour - 
½ cup butter or margarine - 
water to mix 
salt.

For the filling : 
Almond paste : 

3/4 cup shelled blanched and peeled almonds, 
¼ cup granulated sugar, 
1 egg, 
the peel of 1 lemon, 
5 candied cherries.

To decorate :

Thin lemon icing, 
apricot preserve, 
candied red and green cherries, 
candied orange peel, 
candied lemon peel, 
a red ribbon, holly. 
 
INSTRUCTIONS       

Make the filling preferably at least 1 month in advance.        

Store in jar. 

Grind the almonds very finely, add the sugar and the egg, also the grated peel.

Mix well. Grind again. Store. When necessary knead        

through and add some water if paste is too stiff.        

Make the puff-pastry your favorite way.        

Roll out into long strip of 1/8 inch (4mm) thick, 4 inch        

(10 cm) wide. Brush your baking tray with water. Take        

a pan cover that will nearly fit the baking tray.        

Put it in the middle and trace the circumference, this        

will guide you when forming the ring.    

Shape almond paste into roll of nearly the same length.        

Press 10 halved candied cherries at equal intervals        

into the almond paste roll.        

They must not be visible any more. Now place the        

almond roll on the dough, a little above the center. 

Wet the lower part of the dough with water and        

wrap it loosely around the almond paste roll.        

Put it on the baking tray : the 'ring' will guide you.        

Seal the join well and turn the roll until the join faces down.        

Form a ring by joining the two ends together with some water.        

Brush with beaten egg. Allow to stand for 15 minutes        

in a hot oven (450 degrees Fahrenheit) until golden        

brown. When done, coat the ring thinly with preserve        

and when still HOT, coat with thin icing (with a few drops        

of lemon juice). Cool. When firm, take from the tray and        

cool on wire rack. Decorate with halved candied        

cherries, orange peel and lemon peel cut in leaf shapes.        

Tie a ribbon around the ring where the two ends meet and decorate with holly.