Pie and Pastry Bible (80 page)

UNDERSTANDING

Apricot does not produce a successful Tatin because the combination of the caramel and natural acidity of the fruit produces an undesirable bitterness. Also, unlike apples and pears, which hold their shape even when slightly overcooked, apricots break down and release too much liquid. Peaches, however, which have the same textural difficulties, meld beautifully with the caramel and make a magnificent Tatin if the fruit is cooked entirely separately from the pastry.

LINZERTORTE

T
his classic pastry known as Linzertorte, from the town of Linz in Austria, has a pronounced nut flavor because it is made with a nut cookie crust that contains almost double the nuts of the Sweet Nut Cookie Tart Crust (page 58). It is filled with raspberry jam and topped with a lattice and decorative border of small balls made of the same dough. It was originally called a torte because it was baked in a round cake pan, but I like to bake it in a tart pan to give it the fluted edge.

Traditionally, this pastry is made with unskinned almonds (the skin is left on for extra flavor), but I find the more intense hazelnuts (filberts) more exciting. Homemade raspberry jam is tarter than most commercial varieties and makes the most delicious filling.

EQUIPMENT

A 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom or a 10-inch springform pan, well buttered

OVEN TEMPERATURE: 350°F. ·BAKING TIME: 35 MINUTES SERVES: 6-8
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
	VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
*If using commercial jam, add 2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice to it. Seedless raspberry jam still contains a few small seeds that offer desirable texture.
unblanched hazelnuts	1 cup	5 ounces	142 grams
unsalted butter	12 tablespoons	6 ounces	170 grams
bleached all-purpose flour	2 cups (dip and sweep method)	10 ounces	284 grams
sugar	cup	4.6 ounces	132 grams
baking powder	1 teaspoon	•	5 grams
ground cinnamon	1 teaspoon	•	6.5 grams
2 large egg yolks	2 tablespoons	1.3 ounces	37 grams
pure vanilla extract	1 teaspoon	•	4 grams
Raspberry Conserve (page 589) or seedless raspberry jam*	1 cup	10.5 ounces	300 grams
optional: ½ large egg white, lightly beaten	1 tablespoon	0.5 ounce	15 grams

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 15 minutes before baking.

Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake them, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are golden where the skins have cracked. Cool them to room temperature. Leave the oven on.

FOOD PROCESSOR METHOD

Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

In a food processor with the metal blade, process the nuts with ½ cup of the flour until the nuts are finely ground but not powder-fine. Add the rest of the flour, the sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon and process for a few seconds, until evenly mixed. Pulse in the butter until the mixture has the consistency of fine crumbs. Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and pulse just until the dough begins to hold together (do not allow it to form a ball).

ELECTRIC MIXER METHOD

Allow the butter to soften until it yields to pressure (cut it into pieces so that it softens faster). Finely grate the nuts.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy Beat in the egg yolks, then the vanilla extract. At low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture just until the dough begins to hold together.

FOR BOTH METHODS

Gather the dough into a mass and divide it in two unequal pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Refrigerate the smaller half and press the remainder evenly into the tart pan up to the top edge. If using the springform pan, it should come ¾ inch up the sides. (If the dough is too soft, refrigerate it briefly.) Spread the jam over the pastry (the dough will be about ½ inch higher than the jam). Make a lattice with the refrigerated dough by rolling it between sheets of waxed paper to a rectangle 10 inches by about 5½ inches and cutting it into ten ½-inch strips. Leaving the strips in place, invert a 9-inch pie pan over them, and, using a small sharp knife, cut around the pan. Remove the excess dough and refrigerate it, well wrapped.

Place the strips, still between the waxed paper, on a cookie sheet and freeze for 5 minutes or until firm.

Remove the top sheet of waxed paper and, using a long metal spatula, carefully slide it under the strips to release them. Then carefully lift the strips onto the tart (this will be easy to do as long as the dough remains firm): Lay 5 strips, evenly spaced, across the torte, then turn it a quarter turn and lay 5 more strips across the first strips.

Roll the reserved dough into small balls, using a level measuring teaspoon for each; you will need about 26. Press all along the perimeter of the pastry to form a flat surface for the pastry balls. Place the balls slightly apart around the edge of the pastry, using a fingertip to press a shallow indentation in the pastry beneath each ball and hold them more securely in place. You can also brush a drop of lightly beaten egg white into each indentation to help the balls adhere.

Bake the tart for 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Allow it to cool until warm before unmolding it (page 251). Linzertorte is especially delicious if served warm.

STORE

Room temperature, up to 1 week; refrigerated, up to 2 weeks; frozen, up to 3 month.

CHRISTMAS CRANBERRY GALETTE

T
his is a free-form tart with a crisp flaky crust topped with crunchy walnuts and sweet/tart cranberries. It is easy to make and an attractive dessert on a holiday table.

Serve the galette with cræme anglaise or vanilla ice cream.

EQUIPMENT

A 12- to 14-inch flat round heavy steel pizza pan or an inverted baking sheet, preferably black

Make the dough (page 30).

MACERATE THE CRANBERRIES

A minimum of 1½ hours and a maximum of 24 hours ahead of baking, in a medium bowl, place the superfine sugar (reserve 1 teaspoon for the border) and the light brown sugar and use your fingertips to combine them and rub out any lumps of brown sugar. Cut each cranberry in half and add them to the sugar mixture. Stir the mixture well and set it aside for 1 hour at room temperature or, preferably, overnight in the refrigerator.

Stir the cranberry mixture well, then stir in the walnuts.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. at least 20 minutes before baking. If not using a black pan, plan to bake the galette directly on the oven floor; alternatively, set an oven
rack at the lowest level and place a baking stone or cookie sheet on it before preheating.

Using a floured pastry cloth and rolling pin sleeve rubbed with flour, or two sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap,
^*
roll the pastry to a circle roughly 16 inches in diameter. Using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, trim it so that the edges are even. It should be 15 to 15½ inches. If the dough softens, slip it (still on the cloth or plastic wrap) onto a baking sheet and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes, covered, until firm before lining the pan. The pastry is too large to slip your hands under and support adequately. To transfer it to the pan, roll it loosely over the rolling pin or dust it lightly with flour and fold in quarters. Leave the overhang.

Scatter the cranberry mixture evenly over the dough, covering a 12-inch area and leaving a 1½-inch border. Fold the overhanging border of dough over the outer edge of the cranberries, using your fingers to pleat it loosely at even intervals. Brush this border with a little milk or water and sprinkle on the reserved sugar. (This will give the border a crunchy texture.)

Cut a 10-inch round of foil and place it gently over the cranberries, leaving the crust uncovered. Bake the galette for 30 minutes.

Place a second round of foil large enough to cover the filling and the crust border loosely over the tart and continue baking for about 10 minutes more or until the bottom crust is golden brown. (Slip a small angled metal spatula or flexible knife under the edge of the tart, lifting it slightly, to check doneness.) Cool the tart on the pan on a rack for about 20 minutes or until warm. Dust with powdered sugar.

STORE

Room temperature, up to 2 days.

NOTE

A half-size galette can be made using a 9-inch pan. Roll the dough less than
inch thick and large enough to cut an 11-inch circle.