Linzer Torte

Another one of my mother’s recipes, the Linzer Torte is a torte that has its origins in Austria but is made in all neighbouring countries in various styles. The major differences are in the nuts ( hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds) and the filling used (redcurrant jam, raspberry jam, apricot jam, or even plum butter). My recipe uses filberts (the closest thing to hazelnuts we get in local supermarkets) and raspberry jam (because that’s what my mother used and she went to cooking school ;-). In reality, pretty much any kind of jam can be used, even marmalade, but tradition sort of calls for raspberry or redcurrant.

Linzer Torte

This is a pretty rich and filling torte. Servings should be fairly small slices. You can always get a second helping.
Prep Time 55 minutes
Cook Time 27 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 22 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Austrian, German, Swiss
Servings 8
Calories 435 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g Flour
  • 200 g Sugar
  • 200 g Hazelnuts or Filberts ground
  • 150 g Butter
  • 1 tbsp “Birnenbrot” spice baking spice
  • 1 tsp Baking powder
  • 2 Eggs
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp Lemon juice
  • 500 g Raspberry jam

Instructions
 

  • Add flour to a large bowl
  • Cut butter into small cubes and toss into the flour
  • Using your hands, mix the flour and the butter into a nice crumbly texture
  • Add the sugar, grated nuts, baking powder, lemon zest and mix thoroughly
  • Beat the eggs and add along with the lemon juice
  • Knead the dough thoroughly. then let it rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge
  • Divide the dough into thirds
  • Roll out the first third into a spring form bottom and set up the form
  • Take the second third and roll it into a sausage long enough to go around the inside rim and press it into the side of the form
  • Using a fork, puncture the bottom evenly all accross, then set the whole thing aside in the fridge
  • Taking the last third of the dough, roll it out into a rectangle big enough to make the lattices
  • Here comes one of Chef's tricks
  • Put this rolled out dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and stick it into the freezer for 20 minutes; it will make it a whole lot easier to make and handle the lattice work.
  • Remove the spring form from the fridge and cover the bottom with the raspberry jam
  • Take the lattice dough and cut it into strips
  • Place a series of strips across the torte spacing them the witdth of the strips and trimming them as necessary
  • Fold back every other strip in such a way that you can place the first opposing strip at an angle of about 60
  • Fold the folded back strips back to where they belong and fold back their countereparts
  • Repeat the above steps until you have completed the lattice work across the torte
  • Bake the torte in the oven, preheated to 180 – 200 °C, until you get a nice golden brown
Keyword hazelnuts, raspberry, torte
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Spätzli

Homemade pasta that beats anything you can buy in a store.

Spätzli

Bruno
Spätzli are a traditional Swiss (and German – Spätzle) home-made pasta that is easy to make, looks creative and tastes great fresh or fried.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Austrian, German, Swiss
Servings 6
Calories 215 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g Wheat Flour
  • 2 small eggs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 tbsp sour cream
  • 5 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp butter to fry – if going to

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, add sifted flour and salt
  • In a medium sized bowl combine all other ingredients and wisk together
  • Add this mixture to the flour and wisk vigourously until you obtain a smooth dough and starts to produce large bubbles
  • Let rest to swell for 30 minutes
  • In a large pot, bring 2 litres of water to a boil
  • Scoop a good ladle of dough onto a wooden cutting board
  • Take a chef knife and dip it in the boiling water, then slice a small portion of dough and slide it into the boiling water making sure you dip the knife into the water at the same time again; this helps to prevent the dough from sticking to the knife. The amount and the shape of the dough “dropping” is up to you and you can vary both for additional fun. The traditional shape and size is about a 1/4 tsp of dough and has a slightly elongated shape
  • Repeat the above step in rapid succession until your first batch of dough is used up
  • When the Spätzli are done, they float to the top. Using a slotted spoon or small sieve, scoop out the Spätzli that are done, toss them in a colander and give them a quick rinse with cold water.
  • Continue until all the dough has been cooked
  • To serve, reheat as necessary or fry in butter to a nice golden brown
Keyword pasta
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