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Linzertorte
From Dorothy McNett's recipes at www.dorothymcnett.com. Makes 10-12 servings. Orginating in Austria, this beautiful dessert is also popular in Bavaria.
2 cups hazelnuts, finely ground
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup raw sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
zest of one lemon or orange
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 egg yolks
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups red currant jam (or red raspberry) (12 oz. jar)
1 egg white, for brushing
powdered sugar, for sprinkling
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream , optional
1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Grind the hazelnuts quite fine. I use the food processor with the steel chopping blade in place. Set them aside. In batter bowl, using an electric beater or large whisk, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, zest, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg until fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, adding one at a time. Using a spatula, gradually mix in the ground hazelnuts and flour. Remove about 1/3 of the dough to save for the topping. Wrap it in waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for now.
With the remaining dough, press it into the bottom and sides of a tart pan with removable bottom, 10- 12 inches in diameter. (or use a 10 inch springform pan) You may need to flour your hands a bit to press the dough evenly into the pan. Spread the jam over the crust.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Get the chilled dough from the refrigerator and divide it into 16 pieces. Lightly flour a pastry cloth or the counter top, and with floured hands roll each piece into a thin rope about 1/2 inch or less in diameter. Now place these on top of the jam, making a lattice design, using 8 going one direction and 8 the opposite direction. You may need to improvise, pinching and tugging. Whisk the egg white well, and brush it gently over the lattice. Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar. Place the torte pan on a flat baking sheet to make it easier for you to get it in and out of the oven without pushing up the bottom of the pan. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool about 15-20 minutes before removing the sides of the pan. Place on a beautiful platter. Slice and serve. If desired, whip the cream with the vanilla bean paste and dollop a small amount on top of each serving.
Recipe created 2012-10-20.
