Banket

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   I had never heard of this pastry before, but a friend shared the following information and recipe today for his favourite Dutch treat, and I was immediately intrigued. 

Here's some background from Wiki:

 Banket (bahn-KET) or Letterbanket is a sweet pastry that originated in the Netherlands and is popular in the Christmas season.

Banket is made by rolling pastry dough around an almond paste filling and then baking it. The log is then cut into short lengths for serving. It can also be frozen and enjoyed after the holiday season.
In some families, the term Letterbanket or Banket Letter refers to the tradition of taking the logs and bending them into letters before baking. The letters would then be used to spell out Merry Christmas on a holiday feast banquet table.

And here's a recipe from The Netherlands posted on allrecipes.com by a gal whose husband's family is Dutch:

 "My husband's family is Dutch and this is a recipe from the Netherlands that is a great tasting pastry using almond paste. Enjoy!"

Banket

Yield 4 strips 

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups almond paste
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 pinch salt
1 egg white, beaten

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cut cold butter or margarine into flour until the mixture has a crumb-like texture. Make a well in the center, add cold water. Mix together until the mixture forms a ball. Do not overmix. Chill dough. 

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (225 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. 

3. In a medium bowl, blend together almond paste, eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, almond extract and salt. 

4. Divide dough in 4 parts, and roll into 15 inch strips. Place filling along the center of each long strip of dough. Roll up, and pinch the ends to seal. Place strips 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Brush with egg white, and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. 

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden.

I read some of the reviews from the source link at allrecipies.com, and here is a compilation of tips that might be helpful in preparation:

 Banket is actually a little more tolerant of a slightly wetter or tougher pastry dough.

Put the dough and filling into the fridge overnight to chill. 

Wait until the filling is room temperature before spreading it on the dough. 

Keep the dough you aren't working with in the fridge until you are ready to use it. 

Line the baking sheet with parchment paper to keep the loaves from sticking and help them brown more evenly.

Don't be afraid to use too much flour when rollinig out the dough.

Make smaller loaves. The big ones tend to burst easier. Simply cut the large square you roll out into quarters. 

I find it easier to divide the filling into 4 parts and then to roll it into a log before putting in the pastry.

Once the dough was rolled out, I sprinkled a bit of flour onto the dough's surface before placing the almond mixture onto the dough. Then I sprinkled more flour on top of the almond mixture and my hands so I could roll it into a long snake. Roll the filling towards the edge of the dough and then roll it up like a snake. Scrape excess flour off the roll with a paper towel before placing onto the pan.

Use a little water on your fingertips to seal the seam. 

Cut slits along the entire top of the pastry about one inch apart. 

I used an entire egg for brushing the crust instead of just an egg white. 

Try baking all of it at 425 for 25 minutes.

I've never been very good with pastries, but this looks very easy and I do believe I will give it a try. With any luck, I might be able to have a pictorial for making this in time for Christmas!