Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a mixing bowl over hot but not boiling water, or use a big double boiler. Put the sugar, almond paste, salt, and eggs into the bowl, and beat for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is lukewarm and looks like pancake batter. Make sure that the almond paste is well beaten also. Take the bowl off the hot water and continue beating for another 5 minutes, or until the batter is cool and looks almost like frosting. Sift the flour with the baking powder and fold it gently into the batter. Add the almond extract and fold again. Using a teaspoon, drop cookies 4 cm apart on buttered and floured cookie sheets, decorate with pine nuts, and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Let stand about 5 minutes, and then bake for 15 minutes (at 350 degrees), or until toasty and crisp on the outside.