Pistachio And Almond Cake With Orange Salad

Ingredients

11/3 cups almonds (blanched whole)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
3/4 cup sugar
3 lemons
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 blood oranges (or navel)
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 tsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
pistachio nuts (unsalted shelled)
11/3 cups pistachio nuts (unsalted shelled)
3 blood oranges
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt

Directions

For the cake

• Preheat the oven to 300˚F. Butter a 4-by-8-inch loaf pan. Then, using a sifter or a fine-mesh strainer, dust it with flour, tapping out the excess.
• In a food processor, combine the pistachios and almonds and pulse until finely ground. Set aside.
• Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Grate the zest from the lemons directly into the bowl. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Mix in the vanilla just until incorporated. On low speed, gradually add the nuts and mix just until incorporated. Then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition just until incorporated. Stir in the flour and salt and mix just until incorporated.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, run a paring knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake sides, invert the cake onto a plate, and lift off the pan. At this point, the cake can be served warm or allowed to cool completely before being sliced and reheated.

For the orange salad

• Cut a slice off the top and bottom of 1 orange, stand the orange upright, and cut downward to remove the rind and pith in thick strips. Cut the orange crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, capturing any juice. Repeat with all of the remaining oranges. Set the oranges slices aside until needed.
• Gently heat the marmalade in a pot over low heat for about 3 minutes, or until syrupy. Add any captured orange juice along with the lemon juice to the marmalade. Remove the pot from the heat and add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to thin the marmalade to the consistency of a vinaigrette. Let cool.

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