Linzer Torte

So I guess you could say I got lucky last year when I met my Tyrolean man, J, who just happens to have been raised in Northern Italy, and also lived for several years in Vienna.  Fast forward many years later, he now lives in New York City, and I am the lucky/grateful observer/student/indulger when it comes to the classic unsullied cuisine of this region. For the most part, J cooks very comfortably and off the cuff.  Not one to reference cookbooks, everything is simply ingrained in his instincts and memory, and whatever comes out of the kitchen is simple, fantastic, and authentic.  No gimmicks are to be found here. 

That said, when Thanksgiving rolled around a month and a half ago, I tentatively invited him to join me and Alice for our quiet little holiday, not knowing if there would be any interest in our traditional turkey and pumpkin pie dinner.  Not only did he accept our invitation to experience his first ever Thanksgiving dinner, after surveying our dining table laid out with a cooling pumpkin pie, drying bread cubes for stuffing, and more food than I usually have in the house all year, he much to my delight enthusiastically jumped into the arena with a classic Austrian Linzer Torte.  While I have had several americanized versions of Linzer over the years, many made with weird combinations of raspberry jam etc, I was just speechless to see how unprecious and unpretentious this dessert really is.  And that is was made with cranberries.

Josef truly cooks and bakes from memory, having been raised in a culinary environment, so all of these measurements are approximate.  Prepare to enjoy one of the most fantastic deserts ever, and just don't sweat the measurements.

All ingredients are approximate:

Roughly one cup of each of the following four ingredients:

Raw almonds  1/4   (Or hazelnuts or a mixture of each.  Pulse in food processor till coarse.)

Flour  1/4

Unsalted butter  1/4   (must be cold)

Sugar  1/4

2 whole eggs plus two yolks

Roughly 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Salt pinch

Vanilla sugar 1tsp

Baking powder 1 tsp

Zest of 1/2 lemon

*Cranberry preserves

Egg yolk for egg wash

Confectioners sugar for dusting

Start with approximately one cup each butter and flour.  Mix the flour and cold butter together by hand, working the mixture somewhat quickly till the butter/flour is relatively smooth and homogenized.  This culinary technique is called abreiben.

Stir in all other ingredients in no particular order in a mixer or by hand.

Refrigerate dough for an hour.

Separate approximately 1/3 of the chilled dough mixture and set aside.  Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of a buttered and floured standard springform pan.  Roll the rest into strips the circumference of your fingers which will become the lattice top of the torte.

Spread the cranberry preserves thickly on top of the dough to about 1/2 from the edge.  This layer should be substantial and preferably homemade cranberry preserves should be used.

*Cranberry sauce/preserve is made with I pound bag cranberries and enough red wine to cover the berries in a pot.  Add 100 grams or less of sugar, and cook for approximately one half hour.  Pour this hot mixture into hot mason jars.  This amount fills approximately 2 mason jars.  This recipes uses approximately 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup of preserves.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.

Dust with confectioners sugar around edges when completely cool.

This torte is better tasting and best consistency three days after it is baked.

All measurements for this particular torte were approximate.

Almonds used for this torte are preferrably raw with the skin on, and not blanched, or pre-sliced or pre-ground.

I had Pillsburys Best All Purpose flour on hand when this torte was made, though any all purpose flour would do...

This is a nice coarse nut mixture..

Nothing needs to be too perfect or precious.  The beauty of this recipe seems to be its natural imperfections.  Do not strive to make everything too refined. 

A light dusting of flour for rolling the lattice pieces.

Brush the pastry with an egg yolk wash after assembling the lattice crust.

Of course making a free form tester with the leftover dough scraps was a really really good idea. Why waste?  Bake for about 45 minutes or until the torte becomes this lovely golden color.

The classic Austrian dessert made with cranberries and almonds was a great addition to our Thanksgiving feast.