Linzertorte is a traditional Austrian confection. A lovely short pastry base, which uses ground hazelnuts and ground almonds, covered with a good layer of redcurrant or raspberry jam and topped with a lattice of more pastry. I did a recipe for this a few years ago, on my blog. But at that time I wasn't making videos for Youtube. So I decided it was time to make it again.
The recipe is another very simple one, as you may deduce from the description above. It does take some time though since the pastry is chilled after being placed into the tart tin.
My Linzertorte turned out very well indeed and was so tasty. I did mention that I couldn't really taste the spices that were included in the pastry. But on further tasting I can now confirm that the spices can certainly be tasted. The flavour of the pastry was, in fact, very good indeed with the hazelnuts shining through. The sweet, yet tart, raspberry jam seemed to work so well too.
Sometimes it is not so easy to find ground hazelnuts but that isn't a problem as they can be ground at home in a food processor. Just add the blanched, or roasted, hazelnuts to the sugar and blitz them in the processor until they are ground. The reason for doing that with the sugar is to avoid the nuts forming into a paste which is easily done if processed for too long.
Ingredients:
75g(3/4 cup) ground hazelnuts
75g(3/4 cup) ground almonds
95g(1/2 cup minus 1 tsp) caster, or granulated, sugar
155g(1 cup + 1 tsp) plain flour
127g(1/2 cups + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter, chilled
1 medium egg, beaten(large in USA)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground all spice
1/2 tsp salt
zest from one lemon
280(1 cup + 1 tbsp) raspberry jam
1 tsp lemon juice
granulated sugar to sprinkle
Method:
Place the hazelnuts, almonds, flour, sugar, cinnamon, all spice, zest and salt into a large bowl(or in a food processor), and mix to distribute the various ingredients evenly.
Add the butter and rub it in until the mixture is like sand(blitz in the processor if using).
Add about 3/4 of the egg and mix together until the mixture begins to clump together.
Tip out onto the work surface and use you hands to form a dough.
Divide the dough into two fairly equal parts, forming into discs.
Pinch lumps off the first disc and distribute over the base of a 9 inch/24 cm tart tin.
Press the dough to cover the entire base of the tart tin, and also about 3/4 inch up the side.
Smooth the dough as best you can and then place into the fridge to chill for at least an hour.
Lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper and place the second disc onto it.
Flour the top of the dough and place a second sheet of parchment paper on the top.
Roll the dough into a 10 inch square.
Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and use a sharp knife to cut 10 to 12 strips of dough, of equal width. These will be used to form the lattice.
Cover with parchment again and place in the fridge until needed.
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F.
Remove the tart tin from the fridge.
Take a sheet of aluminium foil and lightly grease one side.
Place that, greased side down, onto the surface of the pastry and fill with baking beans.
Fold excess foil around the edge of the tin.
Blind bake the pastry for 30 minutes then remove the baking beans and foil and allow the pastry too cool completely.
Whisk the lemon juice into the raspberry jam to loosen it slightly, and to add a little extra zing.
Spread the jam evenly over the base of the pastry in the tart tin.
Uncover the pastry strips, cutting along the lines again to cut the parchment paper underneath into strips too.
The strips will be easier to work with as the paper will be attached.
Take three strips and place one across the centre of the tart tin, turning over and removing the paper.
Place the second strip close to the edge of the tart tin and the third strip close to the opposing edge.
Remove the paper strips too.
Turn the tart tine 90 degrees and to the same with 3 more strips.
Turn the tart tin 90 degrees and use two strips to go between the gaps between the first three strips.
Turn again 90 degrees and do the same again with two more strips.
The lattice is now complete(the extra two strips were for any breakages).
Work a thumb around the edge of the tart tin, to remove any excess pastry strips.
With the remaining pastry fill the gaps, around the edge of the tin, between the strips.
Brush the top of the lattice and around the edge with the remainder of the egg.
Sprinkle some sugar on the lattice.
Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes, until the lattice has turned a nice brown colour.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, on a wire rack, before slicing and serving.
