@dex
Had to transcribe it from my old hand-written version to Word. Boy, that old piece of paper had such fragments of prior bakes on it (!)
Linzer Torte
This is the German version of the Austrian original, which is really more of a tart than a torte. The pastry, unlike the one used in the Apfelkuchen recipe, is rich and crisp and contains ground almonds and spices. The entire body of German pastry recipes used for like purposes are called “Murbteig,” and there are many versions.
Pastry Crust
2 sticks unsalted butter – cold – cut into 1 Tbs pieces
1 cup cane sugar
2 egg yolks – cold
2 cups unbleached flour
2-1/3 cups finely ground unblanched almonds
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Big pinch of ground cloves
- Using a stand mixer, place dry ingredients in bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon or spatula. Make a small well in the center. Place pieces of butter around the perimeter of the bowl, then place yolks, scraping all into the small well.
- Place beater attachment into mixer, lower and lock into place. Turn mixer on low, stopping occasionally to insure that all is mixed in well. Do not over mix. Roll into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
- Remove from frig and place on prepared surface. See #5.
- ***At this point take 1/3 of the pastry dough for the lattice crust, place it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it. Also, from the bulk of the dough, save 1/6 and simply set it aside.
- Tape down two 18” over-lapping pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper onto a table or countertop. Place the pastry dough onto this surface and work into a flat round, which may require striking with a rolling pin. Have a bit of flour on hand to flour rolling pin. Begin to gently knead the dough, working in all bits and pieces, then roll the pastry dough out using a floured rolling pin. Do not let the dough get sticky. If so, refrigerate for 20 minutes. Continue to re-flour the rolling pin rather than flour the dough, as the latter will change the pastry dough to a great extent.
- Roll the dough out until it is 10” wide, plus 2.5” more to accommodate the height of the sides of the pan.* As in many cases, it can be difficult to roll out to a precisely measure circle, so just trim edges and patch by pressing.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Linzer Torte Assembly
10” springform pan
2 egg whites, beaten to blend
1 to 1-1/3 cups red or black raspberry jam (black is a nice change, if you can get it)**See end
- Form the 1/6 of the dough set aside into a long roll, making it about ¼” thick and ½” high
- Brush a little egg white around the edge of the bottom crust in the pan. Set the long roll of pastry dough on top of the areas just spread with egg white wash. Press down on it a little, so it adheres better.
- Spread the jam into the pastry shell. Using a small offset spatula makes this spreading job so much easier.
- Making the lattice: Take the reserved and refrigerated 1/3 of pastry dough and place it on newly taped down and overlapping 18” strips of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Roll out the pastry dough and cut it into strips ½” wide. I prefer to use a pizza cutter or pastry wheel rather than a knife, as a knife leaves drag marks in the dough. Criss-cross the strips of pastry to form a lattice top. Use a knife blade to pick up the strips by inserting the blade underneath them lengthwise, not across.
- When Step 4 is complete, brush with egg white wash.
- Without waiting, place on the lower middle rack for 45 – 50 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. If the pastry is overbanked, the almonds in the pastry dough, the dough will taste bitter.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unbuckle the pan and leave it as such for another 10 minutes. At this point, remove the torte onto a cake rack to cool down to room temp
*This comment refers to the height of the pastry crust (2.5”). I’ve rarely made one which equated to 2.5” high. Check yours out, when you make it. Since a quick trim cannot be accomplished right after baking, due to still being confined by the collar of the springform pan, you must decide right before you place your torte in the oven. If height is excessive, then “artfully” fold the pastry edge inward or trim with a pizza or pastry wheel.
**Raspberry Jam: At room temp, stir in a medium size bowl to insure loosening up of the jam. It’s better to this now, than to wrestle with globs of jam in the pastry crust.
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