Packrat that I am, I save my sent mail. Remembering that I brought
linzer torte to the writing class, I had an idea of what date to look
for the linzer torte thread on this group. The following is my note
from 10/25/06 and another from later that day. Google to see others'
posts on the "linzer torte soup" thread. I originally recalled using
the recipe in Silver Palate. I was wrong. That first time I used the
recipe in Joy of Cooking. I don't care to retype it here. It should be
easy enough to find.


----------------------------------


I wanted to make linzer torte for 2 reasons: I wanted a vehicle for the
cassis jam that I've fallen in love with (more than just putting it on
buttered toast), and I wanted to expand my repertoire of recipes that I
make. I tend to make the same things all the time without improving my
skills or the variety of things we eat around here.


I used the recipe for linzer torte in Joy of Cooking (page 686 in my
edition). I doubled it. I left out the cocoa and halved the amount of
spice. When I was done mixing the dough, it looked so awfully buttery
that I couldn't imagine rolling it out even after it had been chilled. I
added a bit more flour but didn't want to screw with the recipe too much
so I added only a little and refrigerated it when it still was sticky
and buttery. I remember from the Culinary Institute (20 years ago for
me) that we all had trouble rolling out linzer torte dough. It got so
sticky.


I refrigerated the dough overnight and pressed it into a brownie pan as
per the directions (6" x 9"). Then I put on the jam, made a lattice and
put in more jam. The dough was sticky and hard to work with, but I
expected that.


With the left over dough, I made thumb print cookies. They're now out
of the oven. I'd say they were too sweet but not bad. I could serve
them. The larger pan is still in the 325 degree oven (11:45a EST). It
looks like I'm making linzer torte soup, one of those delicious
disasters that could go over ice cream but never firms up enough to be
served in the way it was meant to be eaten. The edges are browning
nicely. The middle looks soggy.


Questions:


Is there anything I can do at this point to avert disaster? Adjust the
temperature or do something with tin foil?


In the future, do I add more flour to the dough until it looks right to
me? Or is there a better recipe to use? There are tons on the web, but
I thought I'd go with Joy of Cooking for this first time.


-----------------------------------------


To my surprise, the linzer torte did set up well enough to be sliced.
The trick was in letting it cool in the pan. It didn't come out looking
beautiful; it had that relaxed melted look, but it wasn't bad. It was
serviceable enough to take to my writing class last night, and they did
like it. Unfortuneately for my ego which likes to show off, another
classmate brought baked goodies too so I wasn't the center of attention.
(This class is after dinner and has nothing to do with baking.
There's no potluck aspect. I'd hoped I was the only one to think of
bringing treats.)


Linzer torte was originally filled with black cassis jam, has been
filled with raspberry in the U.S. where cassis jam was hard to find for
a long time, and nowadays is filled with any jam you like including
apricot, ligonberry, whatever. I don't know if the traditional nuts
were hazelnuts or almonds. (I've also seen recipes that call for
pecans.) I'm going with almonds because I like them.


I did replace the cocoa with extra flour, but the dough looked so wet
and sticky that I'm thinking it needed even more flour. I imagine that
the amount of flour depends on the humidity of day one is baking and the
exact properties of the flour used. Also, like most American home
bakers, the recipe called for volume measures, and I measured with
measuring cups, not a scale.


If I were going to make this again and try to perfect it, I might move
to scales. I'd also look for a recipe that isn't quite so sweet; I'd
practice rolling out the dough the thinner, and I'd put in a drop of
almond extract for a more pronounced almond flavor.


The recipe specifically asked for unblanched, raw, almonds that had been
ground, but would I get a more almondy flavor if I toasted the almonds
first? And would that affect the consistency of the dough and finished
product?


The reception was good, and I might bring treats again next Wednesday.
I'm thinking of something less complicated, maybe a loaf of banana bread
or a loaf of something using apples or pears. (The classmate brought a
lovely moist ginger cake. She bakes professionally.)


--------------------------------------------


Since then, I know I've been playing with using other recipes. They're
all over the web. I'd love your recipe translation. It's time I tried
again.


--Lia