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1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
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2
Lightly butter a baking sheet and dust it with flour.
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3
Mark a circle nine inches in diameter in the flour.
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4
Bring the water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan.
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5
Add the butter, one-half teaspoon of the almond extract and 1 tablespoon of the sugar.
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6
When the butter has melted, lower the heat and add the flour and ground almonds all at once, stirring vigorously, until a smooth mass forms that leaves the sides of the pan.
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7
Continue beating over low heat a minute or so longer, until the mixture begins to film the bottom of the pan.
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8
Remove from heat and beat in the eggs one at a time, beating each until it has been thoroughly incorporated in the paste before adding the next.
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9
Beat until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
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10
If desired, the cooked water, butter, flour and almond mixture can be transferred to a food processor and the eggs added one at a time through the feed tube with the machine running, until a smooth, glossy mixture forms.
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11
Using a large spoon, drop high mounds of paste next to each other just inside the circle traced on the baking sheet, forming a ring 9 inches in diameter, about 2 inches wide and 2 inches high.
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12
Gently smooth the top with a knife dipped in water.
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13
Place in the oven and bake for one hour, until the ring is brown and there are no beads of moisture on the surface.
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14
Using a sharp knife, pierce the finished ring in several places along the side to allow steam to escape.
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15
Shut off the oven and return the ring to the oven for 20 minutes to dry.
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16
Transfer it to a rack and allow it to cool to room temperature.
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17
Place the rack on a sheet of foil.
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18
Mix one-half cup of the sugar with one-fourth cup of water in a skillet.
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19
Boil over medium-high heat, swirling the pan until the sugar dissolves, until the syrup becomes a rich honey color.
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20
Immediately dribble the caramel syrup over the top of the ring in an irregular pattern and allow the syrup to harden for 10 minutes.
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21
Carefully split the ring in half horizontally.
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22
Whip the cream until softly peaked.
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23
Add the remaining sugar and almond extract and whip until stiff.
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24
Spread half the whipped cream over the bottom half of the ring.
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25
Arrange the strawberries in a single layer on the cream.
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26
Top with the remaining whipped cream and cover with the top half of the ring.
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27
If desired, fill the center of the ring with more strawberries, and serve.
