Hazelnut Linzer Torte Food

HAZELNUT LINZER BARS

Steps:

• Make Classic Shortbread dough with just 1 cup flour. Add 1 cup ground oats and 3/4 cup finely ground hazelnuts with the flour. Mix one-third of the dough with 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts; freeze tablespoonfuls in clumps for 30 minutes. Press the remaining dough into a buttered 8-inch square pan. Spread with raspberry preserves and top with the frozen clumps. Bake about 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

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.

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.

LINZER TARTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in thirds. Shape each into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-in. holiday cookie cutters. Using floured 1-in. shaped cookie cutters, cut out the centers of half of the cookies., Place solid and window cookies 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining portions of dough. Bake 8-10 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., Sprinkle window cookies with additional confectioners' sugar. Spread 1 teaspoon Nutella on the bottom of each solid cookie; place window cookies over filling.

HAZELNUT LINZER COOKIES

Steps:

• Grind hazelnuts with 1/4 cup sugar.
• Stir together Flour, cinnamon, salt. Set aside.
• Cream butter, sugar, vanilla and egg yolks.
• Stir in dry ingredients.
• Pat into rectangle, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Roll out dough on lightly floured surface and cut out with 2" cookie cutter.
• Cut small shape in half of the cookies.
• Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees 12- 14 minutes. Cool on rack.
• Heat preserves slightly in saucepan.
• Spoon 1/2 teaspoons preserves onto whole cookie.
• Dust cut-out tops with powdered sugar.
• Place dusted cookies on top of preserve covered cookies.
• Store in tins.

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.

CHOCOLATE LINZERTORTE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan boil the jam, stirring, for 3 minutes and let it cool. In a bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter with the granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, beat in the egg yolks, the cinnamon, the zest, and the salt, and beat the mixture until it is smooth. Add the flour and beat the dough until it is just combined. Beat in the hazelnuts and the chocolate.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Press lightly more than half the dough onto the bottom and up the side of an 11-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Roll out the remaining dough between 2 sheets of wax paper into a round slightly thicker than 1/8 inch and freeze the round in the paper on a baking sheet for 15 minutes. Spread the jam evenly on the tart shell to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Remove the top sheet of wax paper from the round of dough, with a pastry wheel or sharp knife cut the round into 1/2-inch-wide strips, and, using a long metal spatula, arrange the strips in a lattice pattern over the jam. Trim the ends of the strips at the edge of the pan and with the remaining dough press a 1/4-inch-thick rim over the ends of the strips. Bake the Linzertorte in the middle of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is browned lightly, and let it cool in the pan on a rack. The Linzertorte may be made 3 days in advance and kept covered loosely and chilled. Remove the rim of the pan, dust the edge of the Linzertorte with the confectioners' sugar, and serve the Linzertorte with the whipped cream.

LINZER TORTE

Steps:

• Combine the flour, sugar and ground almonds into a pile on a large workspace, then make a well in the middle of the mound.
• Add the butter, egg yolks, vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg into the well.
• Knead the dry and wet ingredients with your hands until well-blended and the butter is thoroughly incorporated into the mix.
• Prepare a springform pan by lining it with parchment paper.
• Take roughly 3/4 of the dough and spread it all uniformly across the bottom of the springform pan. It should be at least 1/2 an inch thick, with a slight lip around the edges.
• Combine the jam and brandy in a mixing bowl, then spread across the dough in the springform pan. The lip of the dough should still be higher than the jam; if not, use a little of the remaining dough.
• Divide the rest of the dough into thin strips, and place them across the top of the dough, forming a lattice from edge to edge.
• Bake the torte in a 375-degree oven for 35 minutes, until the jam is bubbling a bit and the dough is starting to turn golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Carefully peel down the edges of the parchment paper away from the edges.
• Sprinkle the top of the torte with confectioner's sugar.

LINZER SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet, and toast in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately transfer nuts to a clean towel. Vigorously rub the nuts in the towel to remove as much of the skins as possible. Set nuts aside until completely cool. Place nuts in a food processor, and process until finely ground. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, and beat until smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
• Whisk together reserved hazelnuts, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add to butter mixture; beat on low until combined, about 2 minutes. Form dough into 2 flattened disks, wrap each with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have ready 2 baking sheets lined with Silpats (French baking mats; see sources) or parchment paper. Also have ready one 2 1/2-inch round fluted cookie cutter and one 3/4-inch cookie cutter. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out half the dough to a scant 1/4-inch thickness. Using the 3-inch fluted cutter, cut out cookies. With a wide spatula, transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheets. Using the smaller cutter, cut the centers out of half of the cookies. Repeat rolling and cutting with the other half of the dough. Combine the scraps from both batches, reroll and cut.
• Bake until the edges are golden, 12 to 16 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from oven; place on wire racks until completely cool.
• Lightly sift confectioners' sugar over the decorative tops; set aside. Spread a scant tablespoon of jam on the bottoms of each cookie, and sandwich with the sugar-dusted tops.