inzertorte
originated in Linz, Austria and is very distinctive looking with its
beautiful golden brown crust, filled with ruby red preserves, with seeds intact, peeking through the pretty
lattice design. Rick Rodgers tells us in 'Kaffeehaus' that
printed recipes for this torte started to appear in
the early 1700s. As far as recipes go, this one has stood the
test of time as it is still made with ground almonds, sugar, butter, flour, and
egg yolks. One change that has come about, is the
addition of ground hazelnuts which I think only improves the flavor of the
already delicious crust. The other change is what preserves are
used to fill a Linzertorte. For while tradition tells us to use black
currant, because
they are hard to find in North America we usually use raspberry preserves
although apricot and cranberry do make the
occasional appearance.
The crust of a Linzertorte may be
either white or brown in color depending on whether you use blanched
almonds or toasted almonds. Sometimes recipes even include cocoa powder (about 1 tablespoon)
along with the toasted nuts so if you are a chocolate fan you may want to
include this in your recipe. There are two ways to make the dough
and it depends on whether you want to pipe the lattice design (creaming
method) or whether you are going to roll out the
dough (used here) and then cut it into strips. Although you can easily use a good quality store
bought preserve for this torte, I recommend making your own. I came
across this recipe in Carole Walter's 'Great Pies & Tarts' which is very
simple to make and it really brings out the tart yet sweet flavor of the raspberries. However, if time doesn't permit making your own, do add a dash or two
of lemon juice to pert up the flavor of any store bought preserves. After the torte is baked and left to cool, I like to cover and refrigerate
it. Although you can serve it right away I find it tastes much
better after sitting a day or two. This torte is excellent served
warm with a little whipped cream on the side. It also looks very
pretty with a dusting of confectioners' sugar.
Raspberry Preserves:
Place the frozen unsweetened raspberries and the sugar in a small saucepan and
bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring
occasionally, for about 15 to 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has
evaporated. Do not let it burn. Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof measuring cup. You
should have almost a cup of preserves. Add enough store
bought raspberry preserves to equal one cup of filling. Add a drop
or two of lemon juice. Cover and place in the refrigerator while you make
the crust.
Linzer Torte: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
F (177 degrees C) and position rack in the center of the oven. Place the almonds on a baking sheet
and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and
fragrant. Then place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes
or until fragrant and the outer skins begin to
flake and crack.
Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Once the nuts have
cooled, place in a food processor and process, along with 1/2 cup (70 grams) of
flour, until finely ground. Add the remaining flour, sugar, lemon
zest, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, salt, and baking powder and process until
evenly combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like
fine crumbs. Add the 2 egg yolks and vanilla extract and pulse until the
dough just begins to come together.
Gather the dough into a
ball and then divide it into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other.
Wrap the smaller ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Take the larger
ball of dough and press it into the bottom and up the sides of a buttered 10 inch
(25 cm) tart pan or springform pan. If using a springform pan press the
dough about 1 inch up the sides of the pan.
Take the cooled raspberry
preserves and spread them over the bottom of the crust. Remove the smaller
ball of dough from the fridge and roll it between two sheets of wax paper into a
rectangle about 10 inches (25 cm) by about 6 inches (15 cm). With a
sharp knife or fluted edged pastry wheel cutter, cut the dough into 10 - 1/2
inch wide strips. Using an offset spatula gently transfer the strips to
the tart pan. (If the strips are too soft simply place them in the fridge
for a few minutes until firm.) Lay five strips, evenly spaced, across the
torte and then turn the pan a quarter turn and lay the remaining five strips
across the first five strips. Trim the edges of the strips to fit the tart
pan.
Take the leftover scraps of
dough and roll them into a long rope about 1/4 inch thick. Don't worry if
the rope breaks. Just take the pieces of rope and place them around the
outer edge of the tart where the ends of the lattice strips meets the bottom
crust. Using a fork, press the rope into the edges of the bottom crust to
seal the edges.
Bake the tart in a preheated
350 degree F (177 degree C) oven for about 30 - 35 minutes or until the pastry
is golden brown. Let the torte cool on a wire rack before unmolding.
Although you can serve this torte the same day as it is baked I like to cover
and refrigerate it for a day or two before serving. This torte is best
served warm with a dollop of whipped cream. Dust the top of the torte with
confectioners' sugar.
This torte will keep in the
refrigerator for about a week. It can also be frozen.
Confectioners' (Icing or Powdered) Sugar for
dusting
Note:
Lemon Zest is the yellow outer rind of the lemon that contains the
fruit's flavor and perfume. Can be removed with a citrus zester or
grater. When removing the outer
rind (zest) do not remove the white pith, which is very bitter and inedible.
Sources
Beranbaum, Rose
Levy. The Cake Bible. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc.,
1988.
Bloom, Carole.
The International Dictionary of Desserts, Pastries, and Confections.
New York: Hearst Books, 1995.
Walters,
Carol. Great Pies & Tarts. New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 1998.
Rodgers, Rick.
Kaffeehaus. New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2002.
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