Argh! My Linzer Tortes Are Bad, Bad, Bad

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jeff.younger

Assistant Cook
Joined
Jan 2, 2007
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2
I've tried several different recipes, several different kinds of flour, and still...still...I can't make a lattice top. The dough is so soft that it won't hold together in strips. It just pulls apart.

Anyone know why?
 
jeff.younger said:
I've tried several different recipes, several different kinds of flour, and still...still...I can't make a lattice top. The dough is so soft that it won't hold together in strips. It just pulls apart.

Anyone know why?

try less shortening...or chill it longer
 
jeff, i used to have to make 5 or 6 linzer tortes at a time. i don't have my recipe at hand, but essentially it's soft enough at room temp to put in a pastry bag and pipe it out. pipe out the bottoms and chill. add the raspberry filling and pipe the lattice top. it's very fast. the only drawback is that you need to chill the bottoms before spreading the jam. it's a little soft to do a clean job otherwise.

if you want to try it on your own, try increasing the butter in your recipe a bit and thoroughly cream the butter and sugar, whipping in a lot of air. if you want, i'll try to reduce my recipe to a managable amount.

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philso said:
if you want, i'll try to reduce my recipe to a managable amount.
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philso, what a great idea! If it's not too much trouble for you, I'd like to try your recipe. Why did you have to make so many tortes?
 
no problem. did a year's stint as a pastry chef in nyc long ago and also did desserts on top of being a line chef at many other places. as this recipe is not written by weight, i must have picked it up at some other restaurant, though. this approach would be used for buffets, brunch, etc. it's much faster (& hence economical) than having to chill and roll out the dough.

dug out my notebook and found out 2 things. one, it's already in single recipe size. two, as with many of my old recipes, it's written kind of cryptically, just a list of the ingredients. i'll write it as-is, then interpret.

linzertorte dough

1 1/4 c flour \
1 c almonds } ground together
(cocoa), cinnamon, clove /
1/2 c sugar
1 c butter
2 eggs

that's all that's written.

put the flour, almonds and spices in a food proccesor. the cocoa is optional. i'd say a tablespoon or two if you want to go with it. i like the cinnamon to pull on through, so i'd use about a teaspoon or so, and maybe 1/4 t of the clove. however, if you're satisfied with the taste of your previous tries, adjust the ratios to what sounds good to you. process until the almonds are grainy. alternatively, you can do 1/2 of the almonds for a bit and then add the rest and continue, so that part is almost powdered but part remains recognizably like parts of nuts. not too big though.

cream the sugar & butter well, changing from a wooden spoon to a whisk to beat in some air. or you could use a mixer. try to get it light, then add the eggs one at a time.

combine the two mixtures and you're done.

it's easier to start piping from the edge and work toward the center. aim to use about 2/3 for the bottom and a half inch or so high for the edge. reserve 1/3 for for the lattice. chill the bottom well before adding the jam.

there's nothing written about the pan, but it's for a standard 9" flan pan, the kind with the removable fluted sides. cooking time is also not written, but i'd go for about 40 - 50 min at 350 - 375 f.

this is a production approach, but a nice enough product. i hope it turns out well for you.
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by the way, those almonds should be blanched. drop them into some boiling water for a bit, drain and run under some cold water. the skins should pop off quite easily.
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