Use a 10 by 1″ tart pan with removable bottom. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar till pale and fluffy, three to four minutes. Beat in extract and salt. Add flour and mix on low speed util mixture forms large crumbs and the butter is pretty much equally incorporated into the the flour. This should just take a few seconds. Scrape up from bottom once or twice during this procedure.

Remove 1/4 cup of crumbs and refrigerate while working with the rest of the recipe.

Dump crumbs into tart pan and spread out fairly evenly, a bit thicker on the edges. Beginning on edges, bring part of the crumbs up the sides of the pan (you may go only partway up the sides) to form an edge. Use your finger to lightly press around the edge to give it a clean, even look. No need to be overly fussy, here.

Spread the rest of the crumbs into an even layer. You may need to work a few more towards the edges to compensate for the crumb you took to put on the sides. Lightly press down with your fingers, creating a layer as smooth as possible. You’ll notice it is coming together as a dough as you do this.

Fill with jam or preserves. The chunkier the preserves, likely the more you will need, but try to keep the layer thin and even.

Sprinkle the refrigerated crumbs over the top, then sprinkle with almonds.

Bake on a cookie sheet for 30 – 40 minutes until crust is lightly browned and the jam or preserves have started to dry a bit. Cool pan on rack, then remove sides.

Serve warm or cold. May sprinkle with a bit of powdered sugar.