LINZERTORTE

Linzertorte is one of the most refined desserts you could find and it's no surprise, as it belongs to Viennese tradition. The recipe is dated from at least the 17th century and was probably named after Linz, the Austrian town, and not Linzer, a pastry chef from Vienna, although I've seen both versions in respectable cookbooks. It has also been found that original 17th century jam-filled tart was based on an Italian recipe. Whichever is true, Linzertorte won the hearts of international food-lovers in the second half of the nineteenth century. U.S. gourmets also enjoy Linzer tarts and Linzer cookies that were adapted from the original dessert.

For me, any recipe that is labelled 'German' is dear since I was born in Frankfurt and have memories of family dinners with Schnitzel and other lovely things whose names I didn't know back then. Linzertorte, however, was a complete stranger to me until the mid 2000s because tarts were not on the menu. Of course, Linzertorte is not just any tart and certainly not pastaflora, as I had thought at first. It's a torte, which means it's basically a cake. What makes this recipe special is the considerable amount of ground nuts used in the dough, resulting in very light texture. It's the same as in Sachertorte, Lebkuchen, the original Black Forest Gâteau, Esterhazy torte (since traditional Hungarian dessert also means 'German') and Frankfurter Brenten.

 

Depiction of Linz in 1594

 

Since I had no recipe to begin with, I perused my cookbooks and searched the Internet. I found many things but decided on Melanie Reichelt's version, which is both Austrian & historic. Reichelt was a late 19th-early 20th century woman from Vienna, owning a much-frequented inn at Baden, a small town on the Danube. Which brings to mind Ruth Graves Wakefield and her Toll House inn that was quite popular around the same time in the U.S. From the preface of Two hundred famous Viennese recipes (1931), Reichelt's collection of favorite Austrian dishes, both savory and sweet, we know that she lectured in American cities, like Graves Wakefield, and that her lectures were a great success. The praise of her distinguished Baden visitors and of her female audience in the U.S. encouraged Reichelt to write a book that is available to read in digital form and really tastes of Vienna. Unlike Graves Wakefield, Reichelt did not write any notes for the reader although her quote "We Austrians cook from the heart", as mentioned in the preface, speaks volumes. All her recipes are worth trying, even in small doses, because they are quite rich. Please note that, in the pastry section, there are some famous cakes, including Dobos torte, which Reichelt's U.S. editor has re-baptised 'tarts'.

"Linzer Tart. Time required, 1 1/2 hours. Tender Batter: 3 1/2 oz. flour, 7 oz. butter, 3 1/2 oz. sugar, 2 oz. powdered cloves, 7 oz. almonds, 2 egg yolks, cinnamon, sugar to strew over tart, flour for tart form, 3 1/2 oz. currant jam, white of one egg for brushing. Rub butter with flour and add the peeled and grated almonds, sugar, the powdered cloves, cinnamon, and egg yolks and knead the whole to a good dough. Roll out to about 1/4 of an inch, save a small piece, and put on a floured tart form. Spread currant jam over the top. From the dough reserved, shape a small rim round the tart and cover it with latticed strips of pastry. Brush with the white of an egg and bake for about one hour. Sprinkle with sugar."

 

 

LINZERTORTE

Reichelt's tart is lightly sweetened, as is the case with most German desserts but -again in the German style- the amount of butter used is relatively large. In the version shared below, I have changed the ratio of flour to nuts from 1:2 to nearly 1:1. I have also cut down on butter & spices and used a little baking powder. Of course, it's perfectly OK to make a tart without rising agents. Finally, I increased Reichelt's dose by 40%.

I n g r e d i e n t s

for the dough:

225g plain flour

200g ground almonds

1tsp baking powder (optional)

1/2tsp cardamom

1/8tsp cinnamon

1/8tsp cloves

a pinch of salt

120g caster sugar

170g butter, at room temperature

1 egg + 1 egg white

for the filling:

250-300g red fruit jam

for topping:

1 egg yolk

1tbsp milk

 

M e t h o d

1. Sift the dry ingredients in a bowl. Thoroughly beat the sugar, butter, and eggs in another. Combine the mixtures, using a spoon, and knead with your fingers. 2. Gather into a ball, wrap in cling film and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. In the mean time, preheat the oven to 180C and butter a 26cm springform tart pan. 3. Roll out a little more than half of the dough and fit into the pan, making the sides 2cm high. Prick all over with a fork and spread the bottom with a layer of jam. 5. Roll out what is left of the dough. Cut out a disc, then 2cm wide strips. Decorate the tart in a lattice pattern. 5. Whisk the remaining yolk with the milk and brush the strips of dough. Then bake for 25 minutes or until golden. 6. Leave to cool in the tart pan, then unmold and dust with a little sugar.

 

N o t e

Serve with vanilla custard, if liked.