Today's post celebrates rapska torta, a delicious almond-filled pastry from Rab Island in Dalmatia.
Dalmatia is a historic region of Croatia, stretching on the eastern coast of the Adriatic. It was named after the Illyrian people who lived there until the early Middle Ages, when Slavic tribes moved on to Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia. Having changed many rulers, Dalmatia benefits from a mixed cultural identity - featuring Italian (Roman, Venetian), Slavic, and German (Hungarian, Austrian) elements. The longest occupation of Dalmatia in history was by the Republic of Venice, which dominated the area in 1000 and between the 15th and 18th centuries. Although the Italian-speaking population fled after the Great War, the language, toponyms, monuments and cuisine of Dalmatia remind strongly of Italy.
The northernmost tip of Dalmatia is Rab Island. Saint Marin who founded San Marino in Italy was a native of Rab. The island was occupied by Venice in the early 11th century and stayed under its rule from 1406 until 1797. Historic traditions from Rab are preserved in a festival which attracts many tourists but the loveliest exhibit is no doubt rapska torta. It's an example of style and finesse, its color and shape reminding of lacework that you will find at its most elegant all over Dalmatia.
Probably of Venetian origin, rapska torta
was dedicated to Pope Alexander III for the inauguration of Rab Town’s
cathedral (St Mary’s
Assumption) in 1177. The recipe has been a secret for centuries,
perserved in monasteries and by elderly women on both sides of the
Adriatic but it now circulates on the Web and the white-colored, lace-trimmed dessert is even sold in a package. Assembling the pastry requires great skill, experience and patience but this video from Vilma's - a well-known pastry shop in Rab Town - helps a lot.
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RAPSKA TORTA
This version is slightly adapted from recipes that circulate on the Web. These recipes are more or less similar but the one I consulted a few years ago was not specific about the flour, that's why I made a guess - resulting in something that's different from all other versions. The
main feature of rapska torta is that it's baked in a shell that
contains only traces of sugar and butter, yet it's wonderfully crispy
and flaky because of the eggs, which is also true in my version. Apart from experience, my guide for the dough was, once more, Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well (1891) by Pellegrino Artusi: the ingredients and method are slightly adapted from pastaflora. Maraschino, a trademark liqueur of Dalmatia, is made from sour cherries and used in both the dough and filling, resulting in a pastry of delicious aroma.
I n g r e d i e n t s
for the dough:
1 egg + 1 yolk
50g caster sugar
50g butter
1tbsp Maraschino
1tbsp water
250g flour
for the filling:
500g almonds
500g caster sugar
3tbsp Maraschino (or cherry-flavored liqueur + 1tsp Amaretto)
1 egg + 1 white
1tbsp each of grated orange & lemon peel
for topping:
confectioner's sugar
M e t h o d
1. Blanch and skin the almonds. Place on a clean towel and leave for several days in a room. 2. To make the dough: Combine the eggs, sugar and butter and mix well, then add maraschino and water. Bind with the flour to make a soft paste. Leave to rest for an hour. 3. To make the filling: Grind the almonds in the food processor. Add the sugar, liqueur(s), grated orange & lemon peel, and finally the eggs. Combine with your hands. 4. Roll out half the dough into a thin sheet. Use a fluted pastry cutter to cut out 5cm wide lanes in spiral form, with 1cm gaps in between. Remove the dough from the gaps and carefully set aside. 5. To assemble: Place a layer of marzipan, about 3cm thick, on the base. Use the 1cm-wide lanes to cover the sides, trimming with your fingers to make them look like pleats. 6. Bake for 30 minutes at 100C, in a preheated oven. Leave to cool, then dust with confectioner's sugar.
V a r i a t i o n
Shape the pastry into vertical lanes.
N o t e s
The
blanched almonds must dry very well but not too much. Experienced
housewives balance the dryness by increasing the sugar and/or the eggs.
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