Cooking with Colour: Linzer Torte

Cooking Over the Holidays

Nicole here, back again in the kitchen, this time returning to our Cooking over the Holidays series within the Cooking with Colour food blog. This special feature highlights traditional, seasonal recipes cooked with family and dear friends. Our second collaboration for this special series features an Austrian Linzer Torte with special guests, Christine & Johannes. Unlike other postings on this food blog, this feature is our first online cooking lesson and collaboration! Our geographical locations for the duration of the lesson and recipe collaboration include Ottawa & Barrie, Ontario.

I cannot think of a better way to spend my holiday break than to learn about a new traditional recipe, cooking and baking in the company of special friends.

The smell of cinnamon and cloves with warm raspberry jam is an indulging combination that is all things magical! The dense richness of the almonds juxtaposes the sweetness of the crimson jam, making this winter treat both delectable and gluten free!

Alcohol Pairing: Riesling or Late Harvest Gewurztraminer

Yields: 8-10 servings

What you Need:

¾ cup Arrowroot flour
¾ cup Sorghum flour
1 cup Almond flour
¾ cup refined sugar
1 package (8 g) of Vanilla Sugar (Dr. Oetker)
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1 egg
2 tsp. Cherry Brandy or Kirsch Liquor (optional)
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1¼ cup Raspberry jam
1 egg yolk beaten with 1-2 tsp. water

*(If a gluten free torte is not desired, replace the arrowroot & sorghum flours with 11/2 cups all-purpose flour)

Tools

Brush
Cookie cutter(s)

Pastry Knife (optional)

Spatula
Tart pan

How to Make it Happen:

Combine and whisk together the arrowroot, sorghum and almond flours with the refined sugar, vanilla sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Please Note: Arrowroot and sorghum is used here to lighten the density of the almond flour.
Christine preparing her utensils before our virtual cooking lesson!

Whisk the flours, sugars, and spices together
Beat the egg and liquor together and set aside.
Slice the butter into ½ slabs, then cut into small pieces and coat them in the almond-sorghum-arrowroot flours. You can also use a pastry knife to help knead the butter into the flour-sugar mixture. Please Note: It is important that all the ingredients are at room temperature. A helpful tip from Christine, ensure the butter and sugars are thoroughly mixed and the sugar dissolves into the flours.
Cut the butter into small pieces and coat them in the flours
Next, create a well in the centre of the flour-sugar mixture, adding the egg and liquor in the centre. Gradually combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the dough clings together. QUICK TIP: Ensure that your hands are cold to help knead the dough until smooth.
Add beaten egg and liquor to the centre of the flour-sugar mixture
Separate and chill the dough in plastic wrap in the freezer for 1-3 hours or overnight.
After the dough has chilled, remove from the freezer and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. QUICK TIP: Gluten free flours thrive best when they are kneaded as little as possible. Do your best to avoid rolling and re-rolling your dough. If the dough becomes difficult to work with, chill the dough and start again.
Lightly grease an 11-inch (26-28 cm) springform pan with butter or vegetable oil.
Prepare your work surface with a pastry mat and dust the surface with arrowroot flour. Take 2/3's of the dough and roll to ½-inch thickness on the floured surface.
Take 2/3's of the dough and roll to 1/2-inch thickness

Roll the dough into1/2-inch thickness, carefully place into the base of the pan
Carefully lay the dough into the base and along the sides of the springform pan. If more dough is required, use the remaining 1/3 dough portion for additional pieces to patch the crust together. Christine suggests measuring the dough to approximately 1 cm around the sides of the springform pan.
Ensure to cut away the excess pastry dough using a sharp knife along the pie crust edge line. Now, spread the raspberry jam into the prepared dough using a spatula and set aside.
The dough should measure approximately 1 cm around the sides of the pan

Spread the jam into the prepared dough using a spatula
Take the remaining dough portion and roll onto the prepared floured surface to ½- inch thickness. Here you can create stripes for a beautiful lattice finish or use holiday cookie cutter shapes to decorate the top of the jam filling. This will allow the dough to stand up to the sweetness of the jam.
Use stripes for lattice work or holiday cookie cutter shapes for the top
Beat the remaining egg yolk-water mixture and coat the stripes or cookie cutter shapes before baking. Bake for 30-35 minutes in a 325-degree oven or until golden brown. Please note: Gluten-free flours do not require a long baking time. However, if you choose to use all-purpose flour, bake the torte for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Christine cautions all bakers to allow the cake to cool completely after baking, otherwise the torte will damage easily.