Hazelnut Linzertorte With Cranberry Apricot Filling Recipes

LINZERTORTE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add eggs and lemon zest; stir until mixture forms a ball. Divide into fourths. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until chilled. , Remove two portions of dough from refrigerator; press each into an ungreased 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Spread 2/3 cup jam over each., Between two sheets of lightly floured waxed paper, roll one portion of remaining dough into a 10x6-in. rectangle. Cut six 1-in.-wide strips; arrange in a lattice design over jam. Repeat with remaining dough (return dough to the refrigerator if needed). , Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and crust is browned. Cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.

CRANBERRY LINZER TORTE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Lower heat to a brisk simmer and stir frequently, until cranberries burst. Continue cooking, mashing fruit a bit with the back of a spoon, until thick as jam, about 30 minutes. Set aside. (Filling may be prepared in advance.)
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place hazelnuts and almonds on a baking sheet and bake about 10 minutes, until well browned. Rub skins off hazelnuts while still warm, discarding skins. Cool nuts, then grind finely in a food processor, adding 3 tablespoons of flour to keep them from becoming oily. (Nuts should have the texture of coarse cornmeal.) Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, combine butter, sugar, and lemon and orange zest. Beat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg, egg yolk and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, mix together ground nuts, the rest of the flour, cloves, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture in three parts, mixing each time until it forms a slightly sticky dough.
• Divide dough into two pieces, one slightly bigger. Form larger piece into a ball, wrap and flatten to a 1-inch thickness. Form smaller piece into a rough rectangle, wrap and flatten to a 1-inch thickness about 4 by 5 inches. Chill 3 to 4 hours, or overnight.
• Heat oven to 350. Butter and flour an 11-inch fluted French tart pan. Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand for 10 minutes. On floured parchment paper, roll the larger piece of dough into a 12-inch circle, dusting the top with flour as necessary. If dough is difficult to handle, chill again. Pat evenly into pan until sides and bottom are completely lined with dough about 1/8-inch thick. Refrigerate or freeze tart shell until firm.
• Roll out smaller piece of dough on floured parchment paper to rectangle about 10 by 12 inches and 1/8-inch thick. Cut into strips about 3/4 inch by 12 inches. Transfer parchment to a tray and refrigerate or freeze until firm.
• Spread cranberry jam evenly into shell. Lay strips across top in a lattice pattern. Form remaining dough scraps into a rope 1/2 inch in diameter and use it to encircle outer edge of tart. Score diagonally with the handle of a spoon or flute with fingers to make a border.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until jam is bubbling and pastry is lightly browned. Let cool, and dust with powdered sugar if desired. Serve in small wedges.

HAZELNUT LINZERTORTE WITH CRANBERRY-APRICOT FILLING

Steps:

• For filling:
• Combine cranberries, apricots, sugar, and orange juice in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring often, until filling is thick, beginning to stick to pan bottom and reduced to scant 3 cups, about 15 minutes. Cool completely. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.)
• For crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine 1 cup flour and nuts in processor; blend until nuts are finely ground. Add remaining 1 cup flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon; blend 15 seconds. Add butter and cut in, using on/off turns, until coarse meal forms. Add egg yolks, orange peel, and vanilla and process until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Flatten half of dough into disk; wrap and freeze 10 minutes. Press remaining half of dough over bottom and up sides of 10-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Spread filling evenly in crust.
• Roll out chilled dough between sheets of parchment paper to 11-inch round. Peel off paper. Cut dough into 1-inch-wide strips. Place 5 strips across top of tart, spacing 1 inch apart. Top with 5 strips arranged in opposite direction, forming lattice. Trim ends of strips; press to crust edge to seal.
• Bake tart until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Place tart on rack. Stir jam and 1 teaspoon water in small saucepan over medium heat until mixture boils. Brush hot glaze over lattice strips. Cool tart completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely with foil and let stand at room temperature.) Push up pan bottom to release tart. Cut tart into wedges.

HAZELNUT LINZER TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roast the hazelnuts until they smell toasty. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Rub off the skins and cool the nuts another 15 minutes.
• In a food processor grind the nuts with the sugar until finely ground but not pasty. With your hands work in the butter, flour and chocolate together. Add the eggs, one at a time. You just need the egg to hold the dough together; you may need only 1.
• Butter a 13 1/2 x 5 x 2 1/2 inch deep meatloaf pan. Spread about 2/3 of dough in the bottom and up the sides of the pan, spread the jam in the middle and top with more dough. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 5 minutes more, then reduce heat to 300 and bake for 1 hour longer or 1 1/4 hours in all. To test insert a cake tester in dough and it should come out dry. Can be made days ahead of time.

CRANBERRY-WALNUT LINZER TORTE

Steps:

• Combine the cranberries, three-fourths cup sugar, apple juice, one-half teaspoon cinnamon and cloves in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat about 15 minutes, until the mixture becomes thick like a jam. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Combine the walnuts, flour, cocoa, remaining one-fourth cup sugar, salt and remaining one-half teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl or a food processor. Add the butter, cut it in by hand or pulse it briefly in the food processor. Add the egg and water, mixing lightly to form a dough or, in a food processor, add the egg and water through the feed tube with the processor running.
• Gather the dough together and divide it into two parts, one slightly larger than the other. Pat the larger part into a flattened circle and transfer it to an 8- or 9-inch round cake pan with a removable bottom. Pat the dough evenly into the pan to cover the bottoms and sides up to about one-and-a-half inches high. Spread the cranberry jam into the pastry shell.
• Roll or pat the remaining dough into a rectangle about 8 by 5 inches. Slice it into about eight strips one-half-inch wide and arrange them over the cranberry filling in a lattice pattern, pressing the ends of the strips into the rim of the dough. Press a pattern into the rim of the dough with the tines of a fork.
• Bake for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake about 25 minutes longer, until the dough is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly.
• Allow to cool, then dust with sifted confectioners' sugar before serving.

APRICOT ALMOND LINZERTORTE

Steps:

• Make pastry:
• Pulse toasted almonds and sugar in a food processor until nuts are finely ground. Sift together flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves into a bowl, then add to ground nuts in processor and pulse to combine.
• Lightly beat yolks, extracts, and zest in a small bowl with a fork. Add to food processor along with butter, then pulse until dough forms a ball. Form one third of dough into a disk, then roll out between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into a 10-inch round. Transfer to a baking sheet and chill until firm, about 10 minutes. Roll out remaining dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into a 12-inch round, then transfer to another baking sheet and chill until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Make filling:
• Simmer water, sugar, brandy, and apricots in a small saucepan, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until apricots are tender and liquid is syrupy, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer mixture to cleaned food processor and pulse until almost smooth. Spread mixture onto a plate and chill 15 minutes.
• Bake torte:
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Remove bottom of springform pan and invert, then lock on side. Remove larger dough round from refrigerator and peel off top layer of plastic wrap, then invert round into pan (pastry will break in spots). Press dough evenly onto bottom, then discard plastic. Fold in edge of dough and press 1/2 inch up side of pan (side will be thicker than bottom). Press gently to close any cracks.
• Bake pastry until lightly browned, about 20 minutes, then cool completely on a rack, about 30 minutes. (Dough will puff up as it bakes but will settle as it cools.)
• Spread filling into crust with an offset spatula or back of a spoon.
• Peel top layer of plastic wrap from smaller dough round, then cut round into 1/2-inch-wide strips. (Chill strips again if necessary.) Arrange half of strips over filling about 1 inch apart, pressing ends onto edge of torte. Arrange remaining strips across first strips to form a simple lattice. Press edges together with your fingertips.
• Bake until top is browned, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool completely, about 2 hours.
• Before serving, remove side of pan and dust edge of torte with confectioners sugar.

APRICOT HAZELNUT TORTE

Steps:

• Let eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Line two greased 9-in. round baking pans with waxed paper; grease the paper and set aside. , In a bowl, combine the hazelnuts, flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks, water and vanilla until lemon-colored. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar; set aside., In a small bowl with clean beater, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form. Fold a fourth of the dry ingredients into egg yolk mixture. Repeat three times. Fold in egg white mixture. , Spread batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a chilled large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in apricots. , Split each cake into two horizontal layers. Spread filling between layers and over sides of torte. Spread jam over top. Garnish with whipped cream, apricots and hazelnuts if desired. Store in refrigerator.

HOLIDAY CRANBERRY-HAZELNUT TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Arrange tart shells on the prepared cookie sheets.
• Chop hazelnuts and cranberries into small pieces by hand or in a food processor.
• Melt butter in a heat-proof bowl set in a pan of water heated to just below simmering. Remove the bowl from the heat, add brown sugar, salt, and cloves, and stir until sugar is absorbed. Beat in eggs. Stir in corn syrup, molasses, and vanilla extract.
• Return bowl to the heat and stir constantly until mixture measures 130 degrees F (54 degrees C). Immediately remove from the heat and stir in hazelnuts and cranberries. Use a tablespoon to scoop the warm mixture into tart shells.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and set, about 25 minutes.