For the strawberry pastry cream:

• Process the strawberries in a food processor until they are a smooth puree.
• Combine the strawberry puree with the lemon juice and sugar in a medium saucepan.
• Cook over medium heat until reduced by about half. Strain into a container and let cool.
• Combine ¾ cup (172g) of the milk with half of the sugar in a small saucepan. Heat on the stove over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and bubbles appear on the edge of the pan.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and 3 Tablespoons (44g) sugar in a bowl.
• Whisk the cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup (46g) milk in a small bowl and then add to the egg yolk mixture, whisking to combine.
• Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from cooking.
• Return the entire mixture to the saucepan. Stir in the strawberry puree and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Stir in the vanilla extract.
• Scrape the pastry cream into a bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap to the surface, and refrigerate until needed.

For the craquelin:

• Place butter, brown sugar, flour, and hojicha powder and process until combined and smooth.
• Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll the dough to about ⅛" thick.
• Chill the dough in the refrigerator while you make the cream puffs.

For the cream puffs:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
• Combine milk, water, butter, sugar and salt In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan and heat on medium high.
• Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough should come together into a ball.
• Continue stirring for another 3-4 minutes until it is completely smooth and soft.
• Transfer the dough into a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat to cool it down slightly. Add in four eggs one at a time, beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough. The dough should be very thick and shiny but not liquidy.
• Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1 inch plain tip. Pipe out mounds of dough about 2 inches wide and inch high on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.
• Take out the craquelin dough from the refrigerator. Using a round cookie cutter about the same diameter of the puffs, cut out circles of the dough and set them on top of the puffs.
• Bake in oven for about 40 minutes, rotating halfway through. The puffs should turn golden brown and be dry to the touch. It's easier to underbake than to overbake; make sure they are dry before taking out.
• Place sheet on a wire rack and let puffs cool before slicing in half. Pull out any underbaked bits still inside.

To finish the cream puffs:

• Place whipping cream, confectioner's sugar, and food coloring as desired in a stand mixer bowl fitted with whisk attachment.
• Whip the cream in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form.
• Gently fold the whipped cream into the strawberry pastry cream.
• Place whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.
• Fill bottom halves of puffs with whipped cream. Place cream puff top halves on the cream. Serve immediately.

For the blitz puff:

• Combine the flour and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix the ingredients together on low speed until the mixture is shaggy and resembles cornmeal, with visible pieces of butter still. Do not let the flour and butter turn into a solid ball of dough – if the components are completely mixed you will not have the layering of flour and fat needed to form the flaky layers.
• Add the salt to the mixture. Pour in the water and mix on low speed just until the dough starts to come together; again, don’t let the dough turn into one solid lump. There should still be little pieces of butter and the dough should be sticky.
• Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and form into a square. If the kitchen is warm and the dough is very soft and sticky, place it on a sheet pan and chill in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes until it firms up enough to work with.
• Using flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking, roll out the dough about ½ inch thick and in the shape of a rectangle. The dimensions are not important – a roughly rectangle shape is fine, but try to keep the edges straight and square with each other so when you fold the dough over the edges will line up evenly.
• To do a single turn on the dough, imagine the long side of the rectangle divided into thirds. Fold one end third over onto the middle third, then fold the other end third over on top, making a trifold. Make sure the edges are lined up as evenly as possible.
• Roll the trifold out again to about ½" thickness and in the shape of a rectangle, switching the directions of the long and short sides – in other words, the folded sides of the trifold should become the long side and the open sides should become the short side.
• Do another turn (trifold) with this rectangle.
• Repeat this process one more time so you have done a total of three turns. If at any point the dough starts becoming very soft or rubbery, let it rest in the refrigerator for a little bit before working on it some more.
• Roll the dough out into a rectangle. This time, do a double turn – imagine the long side of the rectangle divided into fourths. Fold both end fourths over onto the center fourths, then fold the two sides together again so all four layers are stacked on top of each other. Wrap the dough up completely in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

For the chocolate hazelnut frangipane:

• Combine hazelnuts, chopped chocolate, sugar, and salt in bowl of a food processor. Process until well combined and finely ground.
• Add butter and process until combined and mixture is smooth.
• Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and process until mixture is fully combined and smooth.
• You can store the frangipane in a covered container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it, or use it right away.

To assemble the galette:

• Preheat oven to 400 degree F.
• Take out the blitz puff pastry from the refrigerator and cut into two pieces. Return one piece to the refrigerator.
• Roll out the remaining piece of puff pastry on a piece of parchment paper to a 11" diameter round. Transfer parchment to a baking sheet and place back in the refrigerator to chill while you remove the other half of puff pastry.
• Repeat the process of rolling the puff pastry out to a roughly 11" diameter round.
• Spread the chocolate hazelnut spread evenly across the puff pastry, leaving about an 1" border all around.
• Spoon frangipane into a pastry bag with a 3/4" round tip. Pipe frangipane in a spiral over the chocolate hazelnut spread, leaving about an 1" border as before.
• Place a feve or small bean or nut into the filling.
• Place the other piece of puff pastry over the top of the frangipane. Press down all around the edges to seal the two pieces of puff pastry together.
• Using a fork, press down lightly on the border all around to crimp it.
• Brush the top of the pastry lightly with egg wash. Using a sharp paring knife, gently score the top of the pastry in a sunburst or spiral pattern without cutting all the way through. Poke a few small holes in the top for steam to escape.
• Bake in oven for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for another 30 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.
• Remove and let cool on wire rack before cutting.

For the tangzhong:

• Whisk water, milk, and flour together in a small saucepan. Place over medium-low heat on the stove.
• Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens into a pudding-like consistency and you can leave lines in the mixture, about 5 minutes. You might be tempted to walk away from the mixture at the beginning when it's taking a while to thicken, but don't – it will come together surprisingly quickly and you don't want it to overcook. If you want, you can check the temperature – it's finished when it reaches 65 degrees C (149 degrees F), but I don't find it necessary.
• Place tangzhong in bowl of a stand mixer and let cool until you can comfortably touch it before continuing with the dough.

For the milk bun dough:

• Add milk and egg on top of the tangzhong. Then add the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt without mixing yet.
• With the dough hook attachment, mix all the ingredients together until it comes together into a soft, sticky dough, about 8-10 minutes. If you pull on the dough, it should stretch a bit before it breaks.
• Add in the butter 1 teaspo0n at a time and mix to incorporate. Continue beating the dough for about 6-8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. You should be able to stretch the dough out fairly thin without it breaking (the windowpane test). If it breaks right away when you try to stretch, mix it for a couple more minutes and try again.
• Turn out the dough into an oiled tray and cover with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator and let proof overnight. You can also place in the freezer instead and chill for 30 minutes, then in the refrigerator for 1 hour, if you don't want to wait overnight.

For the spiced butter:

• Mix the softened butter with the sugars, salt, ground cardamon, and ground cinnamon in a medium bowl until well combined. Set aside.

To make the buns:

• Take out the dough from the refrigerator. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 16"x10".
• Spread 100g/7 tablespoons of the spiced butter over the dough.
• Perform a single letter fold, folding one third of the dough over the center third, then folding the other third over the center. Wrap in plastic and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes or the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up.
• Rotate dough 90 degrees so the long side is closest to you. Roll out the dough to 16"x10" again.
• Spread the remainder of the spiced butter over the dough. Perform another single letter fold. It will be about 10"x6". Roll out slightly so it is 12"x6".
• Rotate dough 90 degrees, so the long side is closest to you, and slice into 1 1/4" wide strips.
• Cut each strip into three lengths, leaving about 1 inch uncut at the end so the three strips will stay connected there.
• Braid the three lengths of dough. Then roll the dough up into a bun, tucking the ends of the strips into the bun.
• Place into a cupcake/muffin tin. Repeat the process again with the other strips of dough.
• Lightly cover the tin and let proof in a warm corner of the kitchen for about an hour, until risen and puffy.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Brush the proofed buns with egg wash and bake for 18-22 minutes, until buns are golden. Let the buns cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes while you make the cinnamon bun custard.
• Whisk all the ingredients for the cinnamon bun custard together in a small bowl.
• Dip each bun into the cinnamon bun custard, making sure to absorb as much of the custard as possible. Place each bun back into the tin.
• Bake for another 10 minutes at 375 degrees F.
• Remove the buns carefully from the tin and let cool on wire rack. They are best served warm. You can refrigerate them and reheat at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.

For the cake:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8" round x3" high cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.
• Combine oil and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on low speed until combined.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating to combine after each addition.
• Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine.
• Add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk in five additions, starting and ending with the flour. Beat after each addition just to combine.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake for about 40-50 minutes, rotating halfway. The cakes should be set and a skewer inserted in the center should come out with a few crumbs on it.
• Let cool on wire racks for about 30 minutes, then unmold from the pans and let finish cooling while you make the ganache.

For the ganache:

• Place milk chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.
• Combine cream, corn syrup, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat on the stove.
• Pour the hot cream mixture over the milk chocolate and stir gently until the chocolate is fully melted and mixture is smooth.
• Stir in 1 cup (150 g) of the chopped hazelnuts.
• Pour mixture into a clean container, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in refrigerator for about 2 hours to let it firm up. In the meantime, make the buttercream.

For the chocolate buttercream:

• Combine the sugar and egg whites in a medium metal bowl and place over a pan of simmering water.
• Whisk the sugar mixture constantly over heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture looks smooth and shiny.
• Continue whisking until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F.
• Remove mixture from heat and pour into a stand mixer bowl. Whisk on medium speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture has cooled and meringue is at stiff peaks.
• Switch to the paddle attachment and with the speed on low, add the butter a few pieces at a time, beating until smooth. Do not add the butter too quickly or beat too quickly or the buttercream may break.
• When all the butter has been added, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed for about 6-10 minutes until it is very thick and smooth. It may appear to separate briefly but continue beating and it should come back together.
• Add in the melted chocolate and beat to combine.
• Add in the vanilla extract and Frangelico (if desired) and beat to combine.

To assemble the cake:

• Level off cake layers if necessary. Place one cake layer on a cake board or cake decorating stand.
• Remove ganache from the refrigerator and stir to loosen it up if it has become completely firm. Spread some of the ganache over the cake layer evenly.
• Place a second cake layer on top. Spread a thin layer of buttercream over the cake top and sides to act as crumb coat. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes to let the frosting set.
• Finish frosting the top and sides of the cake with the remaining buttercream.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup hazelnuts over the top.

For the yuzu curd

• Create a water bath by placing a saucepan of water over heat to simmer and placing a metal bowl unto the pan so its bottom does not touch the water.
• Combine the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingers and add to the metal bowl.
• Whisk in the eggs, yuzu juice, and lemon juice.
• Cook the mixture over the simmering water, whisking constantly, until the cream reaches 180 degrees and thickens. Keep whisking while the mixture is heating up to prevent the eggs from cooking.
• Once the cream is thickened – you should be able to make tracks in the mixture with your whisk – take the cream off the heat and strain it into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Let the cream rest for a bit until it cools to about 140 degrees.
• Add in the butter pieces a few at the time and combine on high speed. Once all of the butter has been added, let the mixture combine for a few minutes longer to ensure the mixture is perfectly smooth.
• Once the cream is finished pour it into a container and let it chill in the refrigerator for about half an hour before assembly.

For the biscuit crust:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 8" x 3" round springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper.
• Process the biscuits in a food processor until finely ground.
• Melt the butter in a microwave or on the stove.
• Combine biscuit crumbs and melted butter together in a medium bowl, and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
• Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Bake crust for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on wire rack while you make the cheesecake filling.

For the cheesecake filling:

• Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• Place the cream cheese and sugar in bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed with paddle attachment until smooth and well combined.
• Add in the heavy cream, créme frâiche, yuzu juice, vanilla, and salt and beat on low speed until combined.
• Add in the eggs, one at a time, and beat just until combined.
• Sift the cornstarch over the batter and beat until combined.
• Pour the batter into the pan with the cooled crust. Spread out evenly with a spatula as needed. Tap the pan a few times on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles.
• Bring a medium saucepan of water (about 2 quarts) to a boil on the stove.
• Wrap the springform pan in two layers of aluminum foil, making sure the foil comes up the sides of the pan. This is to prevent any water from the water bath from leaking into the pan.
• Place the pan in a large roasting pan that can fit the the springform pan. Place the pan on the lower oven rack.
• Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan, filling it up about halfway up the springform pan.
• Bake cheesecake for 65-75 minutes, until the center is just set and still jiggles slightly.
• Turn off the oven, crack the door open about an inch and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven for an hour.
• Remove the cheesecake from the oven and the water bath, and let cool on a wire rack for another hour.
• Place foil over the top of the springform pan (not touching the cheesecake) and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
• Spread a layer of yuzu curd over the top of the chilled cheesecake. Refrigerate for an hour or so to let it set before serving.

For the dough:

• Heat milk to just warm in a small saucepan- not above 105 degrees F or you'll kill the yeast.
• Sprinkle the yeast and one tablespoon of the sugar over the milk and let bloom for about 10 minutes until the mixture starts to look frothy.
• Whisk together the yeast mixture, the remainder of the sugar, eggs, and salt together in a large bowl.
• Add the flour and stir to combine until the dough starts to come together. Continue kneading until it comes together into a smooth ball, about 5 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, add a little bit of flour at a time.
• Cover the dough in the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and place in a warm spot in the kitchen. Let rise for about 1-2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.

For the butter block:

• Place the butter on a piece of parchment paper and cover with another piece of parchment paper. Beat a few times with a rolling pin to soften if necessary. Roll into a roughly 6 inch square. Avoid touching the butter too much with your hands or overworking it to avoid melting. Place the butter, still between the pieces of parchment, in the refrigerator to chill while you roll out the dough.

To make the laminated dough:

• Take the risen dough out of the bowl and placed on a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times and then form into an 8 in square.
• Take the butter block out of the refrigerator and place it diagonally on the dough square so the corners are touching the center of the dough edges.
• Fold the dough corners over towards the center like an envelope, so they cover the butter block completely. Press down on the dough edges to seal the butter in.
• Roll out the dough (with the butter inside) to about 8 inches by 12 inches. Fold the rectangle in thirds like a letter.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for about 20 minutes. This is to give the dough time to relax and to prevent the butter from softening too much and melting.
• Remove dough from the refrigerator. Turn 90 degrees so you are rolling it out the opposite of how you rolled it the first time. Roll out to an 8 inch by 12 inch rectangle and fold the rectangle in thirds like last time.
• Wrap in dough in plastic and chill in refrigerator again for about 20 minutes. Remove dough and roll out and fold again for a third time. Wrap and chill for a final 20 minutes. If during any of these laminations you find it difficult to roll out the dough, let it sit for a few minutes to rest and then try again.
• After the final chilling you are ready to shape the dough.

To form and bake the franzbrotchen:

• Roll out the dough to about 3/16" thick. If it is difficult to roll out and keeps shrinking back, let it rest for a few minutes before trying again.
• Trim the edges off the dough to form an even rectangle.
• Combine the 3/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture over the dough, leaving a small 3/4 in border at the edge.
• Roll the dough up tightly into a log. Slice it into 2 inch wide pieces – you should get about eight pieces.
• Place the pieces upright (like a wheel), seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or silicone baking mat, about 2 inches apart. Using the handle of a wooden spoon or a chopstick, press down into the middle of the roll to squash the roll down and make the sides fan out. Do not press all the way down and split the roll.
• Brush the tops of the rolls with egg wash and let them proof on the tray for about 2 hours, until the rolls have doubled in size and look puffy and light.
• While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Brush another layer of egg wash over the rolls and bake for 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown.

For the cake:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-in round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment rounds.
• Whisk together cake flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
• Place egg whites and cream of tartar in clean bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment. Whisk until stiff peaks form.
• Whisk together egg yolks, water, oil, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl.
• Add egg yolk mixture to flour mixture and whisk well to combine.
• Add in about a cup of the egg white mixture to the batter and gently fold in with a rubber spatula until incorporated.
• Add in the rest of the egg white mixture and fold gently until incorporated.
• Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until cakes are golden and spring back in the center when gently pressed.
• Transfer pans to wire racks and let cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto wire racks. Let cool completely.

For the yuzu curd:

• Create a water bath by placing a saucepan of water over heat to simmer and placing a metal bowl unto the pan so its bottom does not touch the water.
• Combine the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingers and add to the metal bowl.
• Whisk in the eggs, yuzu juice, and lemon juice.
• Cook the mixture over the simmering water, whisking constantly, until the cream reaches 180 degrees and thickens. Keep whisking while the mixture is heating up to prevent the eggs from cooking.
• Once the cream is thickened – you should be able to make tracks in the mixture with your whisk – take the cream off the heat and strain it into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Let the cream rest for a bit until it cools to about 140 degrees.
• Add in the butter pieces a few at the time and combine on high speed. Once all of the butter has been added, let the mixture combine for a few minutes longer to ensure the mixture is perfectly smooth.
• Once the cream is finished pour it into a container and let it chill in the refrigerator for about half an hour before assembly.

For the whipped cream:

• Place water in a small heatproof bowl and sprinkle powdered gelatin over it, and let sit for a couple minutes to let gelatin bloom.
• Heat gelatin in microwave in 30 second increments to turn back into liquid.
• Place cream in bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk for several minutes until it starts to thicken.
• Add in confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract and whisk until soft peaks form.
• With the mixer running, pour in liquid gelatin and whisk until stiff peaks form. Do not overwhip.
• You can use the whipped cream or refrigerate until needed.

To assemble the cake:

• Peel parchment paper off bottoms of cakes. Carefully slice each layer in half horizontally to create 4 layers.
• Place one cake layer on a cake board or cake decorating stand.
• Spread some of the yuzu curd over the top of cake layer evenly. Place a second cake layer on top and spread some more buttercream over the cake layer. Repeat with the remaining cake layers. I only used three of the cake layers and saved the last layer for snacking.
• Spread a crumb coat of whipped cream over the top and sides of cake. Refrigerate for about an hour to let the whipped cream set.
• Spread the rest of the whipped cream over the top and sides of cake with an offset spatula. You can also place some of the whipped cream in a decorating bag and pipe design on the top or sides of the cake.

For the cookies

• Combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until combined.
• Add in the butter and beat until incorporated and the mixture looks like rough crumbs. It doesn't have to come together into a ball yet.
• Add in the egg and beat until the mixture starts to come together.
• Add in the vanilla and almond extracts and beat to combine.
• Divide dough into portions and color with food coloring as desired, if you want different colored cookies.
• Flatten dough into about 1/4" thick and wrap well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Roll out the dough to about ¼" thickness. Because this dough can become soft and sticky quickly, my favorite method is to roll out between two sheets of parchment paper.
• Dip cookie stamps into a bowl of flour to lightly coat, and then press into the dough to make designs. If at any point the dough has become too soft, place back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or more until it firms up again.
• Place cookies on baking sheets lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes until edges are light brown. Remove and let cool on wire rack.
• Decorate cooled cookies as desired.

For the cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour five 6" round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
• Add the butter and beat until a crumbly mixture forms, just starting to come together.
• Add the egg whites one at a time, and beat to combine. Add the egg and beat to combine.
• Combine milk and vanilla extract together in a measuring cup. Add to the mixer in three additions, beating well after each addition.
• If you want to be precise, weigh the batter so you know divide evenly between the five pans.
• Pour one-fifth of the batter into one of the prepared pans. Add food coloring as desired.
• Pour another fifth of the batter into a second pan. Continue adding more food coloring as desired and pouring batter into the pans.
• Bake for about 24-28 minutes, rotating halfway. The cakes should be set and a skewer inserted in the center should come out with a few crumbs on it.
• Remove and place on wire racks. Run a knife around the edges for easier removal. Let cool for about 20 minutes and then invert pans to remove cakes. Let them finish cooling before decorating.

For the buttercream

• Combine the sugar and egg whites in a medium metal bowl and place over a pan of simmering water.
• Whisk the sugar mixture constantly over heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture looks smooth and shiny.
• Continue whisking until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F.
• Remove mixture from heat and pour into a stand mixer bowl. Whisk on medium speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture has cooled.
• Switch to the paddle attachment and with the speed on low, add the butter a few pieces at a time, beating until smooth. Do not add the butter too quickly or beat too quickly or the buttercream may break.
• When all the butter has been added, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed for about 6-10 minutes until it is very thick and smooth. It may appear to separate briefly but continue beating and it should come back together.
• Add in the vanilla and almond extracts and beat to combine.
• The buttercream is ready to be used. Place a piece of plastic wrap against the surface until you are ready to use it to prevent it from drying out.

To assemble the cake

• Level off cake layers if necessary. Place one cake layer on a cake board or cake decorating stand.
• Spread some of the buttercream over the cake layer evenly. Place a second cake layer on top and spread some more buttercream over the cake layer. Repeat with the remaining cake layers.
• Refrigerate for about an hour to let the frosting set.

For the tourtière pie dough:

• You will need three discs of dough for this recipe, which is why the amounts for the pie dough are given as "3 x amount". I find it cleaner to make each disc one at a time to ensure consistency, but if you have a food processor with a large amount capacity, you can make the entire amount at once and divide into three equal portions.
• Fill a small bowl with cold water and ice cubes and set aside.
• Combine flour, sugar, and salt in bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
• Cut butter into 1 inch pieces and add to the processor. Pulse several times to cut into the flour mixture and coat the butter pieces.
• Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing a few times to combine.
• After all the water has been added, continue pulsing until the dough begins to come together. It should not fully combine into a solid ball.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently press together into a ball and flatten into a disc about an inch thick. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Repeat twice for two more discs of dough.

For the filling:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté bacon until crisp. Transfer bacon to a small bowl, leaving the rendered fat from bacon in the skillet.
• Put garlic and onion in the same skillet, and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until onion has softened.
• Add mushrooms to the mixture and cook about 5-7 minutes.
• Add the wine, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring mixture to a boil and stir until liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes.
• Add salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to the mixture and stir to incorporate.
• Add ground pork and beef and cook, breaking up any lumps, until meat is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
• Add the bacon back in, along with the grated potato, and cook until potato begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Add the maple syrup and stir to combine. Remove filling from heat and let cool to room temperature.

To prepare the tourtière dough pieces:

• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Take out one disc of dough from the refrigerator. Roll out disc on a lightly floured surface to a 10 inch square. Cut about 24 1-inch leaves or other decorations out with cutters of your choice and place on one of the baking sheets.
• Reroll the dough scraps and cut out eight 1/4×6-inch dough strips. Intertwine two strips at a time to form a 2-strand braid. Make four braids with dough strips and place on the baking sheet with the leaf decorations. Place baking sheet back in refrigerator to chill.
• Take out the second disc of dough from the refrigerator. Roll out disc on a lightly floured surface, adding any scraps from the first disc, to a 12 inch square. You can use an embossing rolling pin or impression mat to emboss the dough if you desire at this point.
• Cut four 2 1/2 x 12-inch strips from the square and place on the second baking sheet.
• Take out the third disc of dough from the refrigerator. Roll out disc on a lightly floured surface, adding any scraps from previously, to a 12 inch square. You can use an embossing rolling pin or impression mat to emboss the dough if you desire at this point.
• Cut eight 4-inch round circles of dough and place on the second baking sheet. Place baking sheet in the refrigerator to chill for at least 10 minutes. Reserve any remaining scraps of dough for patching as needed when you assemble the tourtières.

To assemble the tourtières:

• Whisk together the egg and milk in a small bowl and set aside.
• Lightly grease the sides and bottoms of four 4" round x 2" high springform pans with removable bottoms.
• Remove the baking sheet with the four 2 1/2 x 12-inch strips and eight 4-inch circles from the refrigerator. Gently fit one strip of dough around the inside of one springform pan with the embossed side facing outward. Make sure the ends overlap by about 1/4 inch. Brush a little egg wash to seal the strip together.
• Brush a little egg wash around the bottom border of the strip. Gently fit one of the 4-inch circles of dough into the bottom of the pan, with the embossed side facing down. Gently press the edges into the bottom of the dough strip to seal them together and create a shell for the filling. Trim away any excess dough sticking above the trop of the springform pan.
• Repeat the process for placing the side and bottom pieces of dough for the remaining three springform pans. Place all four springform pans in the freezer for 10 minutes to let the dough firm up.
• Remove springform pans from freezer and divide tourtière filling among them, filling to the top of the pans.
• Brush a little egg wash around the top edge of the dough strip, and place the remaining four dough circles on top, with the embossed side facing out. Press the edges down and around the side strip of dough to seal the entire dough shell together.
• Brush the tops of the tourtières with egg wash. Place a dough braid around one half of the top edge of the tourtière. Arrange leaf decorations on the other half. Brush all the decorations with egg wash and place decorated tourtières in the freezer for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place tourtières on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 375 degrees F, and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
• Let pies cool for 30 minute before releasing from the springform pans and serving. The pies can also be baked ahead of time and stored tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. The unbaked pies can be stored tightly wrapped in the freezer for up to 3 months, and then baked from frozen.

• Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Put butter in bowl of stand mixer and beat on medium speed with paddle attachment until smooth and creamy. Add in the sugar and beat for several more minutes until very light and fluffy.
• Add in the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate. Add in the vanilla extract and almond extracts and beat to incorporate.
• Add in the flour mixture in several additions, beating just to incorporate.
• Divide dough into three equal portions. Form the first portion into a rough rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator.
• Add red food coloring as desired to second portion of dough and mix in the stand mixer until color is evenly incorporated. Form dough into a rough rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator.
• Add green food coloring as desired to second portion of dough and mix in the stand mixer until color is evenly incorporated. Form dough into a rough rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator.
• Chill dough for about an hour until it's firm and no longer soft and sticky. Take out first portion of dough from refrigerator and roll out between two sheets of parchment paper or wax paper to 1/4" thick. If the dough is too soft, return to refrigerator to chill some more before trying to roll out.
• Repeat rolling out process with the other two pieces of dough. Try to roll them out to about the same size rectangle so that you can stack the three layers on top of each other easily.
• Chill dough in refrigerator for another half hour to let them firm up again.
• Take out first piece of dough from refrigerator and take off top layer of parchment paper or wax paper.
• Take out second (red) piece of dough and take off top layer of paper. Place dough down over the first piece of dough and take off the other layer of paper.
• Take out third (green) piece of dough and take off top layer of paper. Place dough down over the first piece of dough and take off the other layer of paper. Run a rolling pin lightly over the top of dough to press the layers together.
• Starting at one end of the dough stack, roll up the dough into a log. If the dough is too hard and starts cracking, let it sit for a few minutes to soften. If the dough is too soft and starts falling apart, chill it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes and try again. Tip: using the parchment paper as an aid to help roll up the dough helps hold it together and prevent it from cracking and falling apart so easily.
• Spread a layer of sprinkles over a baking sheet and roll the dough in it if desired.
• Chill the roll of dough in the refrigerator for about half an hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Using a sharp knife, cut 1/4" thick slices from the roll of dough and place on prepared sheets.
• Bake for 10-11 minutes, rotating halfway through, until tops are firm and dry and edges are just starting to turn golden.
• Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks.