Linzertorte

In my previous post, I gave my recipe for Fig & Hazelnut Cake, a cake which was made using ground hazelnuts which I had roasted, skinned and ground myself. Well, after making that cake which turned out to be far more delicious than I possibly thought, I actually had quite a lot of ground hazelnuts left over. I initially toyed with the idea of making one of my favourite desserts – a Raspberry & Hazelnut Meringue Cake but in the spirit of adventure that had overtaken me, I decided that I would do a little research and see what else I could bake using a hazelnut/raspberry combination.

The internet is a great thing… at the press of a button you can search for something and a whole raft of information will be offered up to you on whatever topic you wish to know more about. It’s hardly surprising that most of my internet activity is centred on researching new recipes and cookery techniques. When I carried out a search on hazelnut and raspberry combined together, there was one dish that kept cropping up, time and time again… Linzertorte!

There are a lot of things that are described as being a Linzertorte; simple raspberry jam tarts or raspberry jam filled biscuits are regularly referred to as Linzertorte… but they are not! Well, not in the traditional sense, because a true Austrian Linzertorte consists of a nut-based (usually hazelnut) pastry topped with a redcurrant, raspberry or plum jam which is then decorated with an open latticework of more of the pastry. Spices such as cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg are also usually included in the nut pastry and when the tart is baking the smells that emanate are incredibly evocative of Christmas. In fact, Linzertortes are very much associated with the festive season, but no-one said that they could only be baked at Christmas and given that I was awash with ground hazelnuts I decided that I would try making one.

The first couple of recipes that I tried were very highly spiced and to be honest, I found the amount of ground cloves very overpowering, even though it is one of my favourite spices. I’ve tweaked the recipe a little in terms of the spicing but also the ratio of flour to nuts in the pastry. I am delighted with the result and given the positive reaction of everyone who tried it, I can see this becoming one of those recipes that I am requested to make time and time again!

The uncooked dough is on the soft side, but this is the way that it is meant to be. Rather than try and roll out thin strips of the dough with which to create the lattice work, I found it much easier to put the mixture into a disposable piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle and pipe it instead!

The Linzertorte is served cut into wedges and although it does have a slightly cake or tart-like look to it, I would actually liken it more to a biscuit.

Ingredients:

140g caster sugar
140g butter, softened

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

3 egg yolks

140g plain flour

100g ground hazelnuts

40g ground almonds

¼ tsp ground cloves

1tsp of ground cinnamon

4 tblsp quality raspberry jam

To finish:

A little icing sugar for dusting
 

Method:

1. Grease and base-line a 20cm round springform tin with non-stick baking parchment. Set aside.

2. Place the caster sugar and butter into a large mixing bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer, beat together until light and fluffy. Add the grated lemon zest and egg yolks and mix again until fully incorporated.

3. Sift the flour and spices together and mix into the dough using a wooden spoon followed by the ground nuts.

4. Line the tin with two thirds of the dough, pressing it out evenly to the edges with the back of a metal spoon. Place the rest of the dough into a disposable piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle. Pipe a long strip around the outer edge of the dough to create a lip or edge to the tart. Spread the raspberry jam evenly in the centre of the tart bringing it out to the edges of the ‘lip’ that you have just created. Pipe the remaining dough in strips to create an open lattice design on top of the tart (See accompanying photos). Place in the fridge to chill a bit while you preheat the oven.

5. Preheat oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4.

6. Bake the Linzertorte in the oven for 30-35 minutes until nicely browned and the jam is beginning to bubble a little. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature in the tin before removing to a serving plate and dusting with a little icing sugar.
 

Serves 8-10.

Fresh Fig & Hazelnut Cake

I am going to be honest; until I made this cake I really wasn’t sure about whether I actually liked the taste of fresh figs when they were used in baking. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love eating fresh figs in their raw state and I’m rather partial to poached figs. I also like to eat dried figs especially when they are used in fruit cakes or fig roll biscuits – so it’s not figs per se that I have a problem with… but fresh figs when baked in, for example, a cake, can sometimes have an unusual texture and a very assertive flavour which I think is definitely an acquired taste.

I was initially going to make an upside-down cake, laying the figs on the bottom of the cake tin and piling the cake batter on top prior to baking, but was afraid that they might soften and disintegrate too much into a shapeless purée. I decided to switch things around and place the figs on top of the cake batter as, when they baked, they would be more likely to retain their shape.

Having decided to bake a cake where the figs were arranged on top, I realised that I would need a cake batter that was not too soft and had a little substance to it, otherwise the figs would just disappear as the cake started rising around the fruit.  The problem with stiffer cake batters is that they can result in a drier cake when baked. Therefore, it seemed obvious that the best way to avoid this was to include some ground nuts in the cake batter. Nuts, when ground and used in cake batters and the like, have the wonderful advantage of preserving a certain moistness and extending the keeping quality of the bake… plus they taste wonderful. I regularly use ground almonds and ground hazelnuts in my baking and have recently started using other ground nuts more often. Ground walnuts, pistachios, pecans all have individually distinctive flavours which can be used to great effect when substituted for the more commonly used ground almonds. I would definitely encourage you to explore their possibilities.

For this cake the obvious choice was to use hazelnuts as they go so well with figs. I was really pleased with how the cake turned out and for perhaps the first time after using fresh figs in my baking I wasn’t left undecided about whether I was a fan of figs or not.
 

I roasted, skinned and ground the hazelnuts myself. This creates a slightly coarser texture than the commercially ground hazelnuts that you can buy but I prefer to grind them myself as I think the taste is far superior and I quite like a nuttier texture.

One piece of advice; just gently place the figs on top of the cake batter once you have placed it in the cake tin. There is no need to embed them in the batter as it will rise around the figs to envelope them without the fear that they will completely disappear as the cake bakes. You will see in the photos that accompany this post, that one of my figs did become slightly submerged, but this was because it was slightly smaller than its companions.

Although I am a devoted tea fan, I have to admit that this cake was just made to have with a good cup of strong coffee, so that was exactly what I did!

 

Ingredients:

125g butter
150g caster sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

150g self-raising flour, sifted

125g ground hazelnuts

25ml milk

5 fresh figs, halved
 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4. Butter and line a 20cm round cake tin with non-stick baking parchment and set aside.

2. Place the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer, beat together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well after each addition.

3. Add the flour and mix briefly to incorporate. Add the ground hazelnuts and fold into the batter using a large metal spoon. Add the milk and mix through to create a dropping consistency.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and level and smooth the surface with the back of a metal spoon or a spatula. Arrange the fresh figs, cut side facing upwards on the cake batter without pushing them in. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes but check it after 30 minutes and if it is browning too quickly cover with a little tin foil for the remaining baking time.  The cake is ready when it is well risen, a golden brown colour and a thin skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.
 

Serves 6-8.
 

Smoked Haddock Vichyssoise

Homemade soups are a great way of getting fussy eaters to eat vegetables and other ingredients that they might not normally be inclined towards. I have an on-going battle with my gang to try and get them to eat more vegetables in their diet and I definitely find it frustrating that they are so reticent. However, they love the soups that I make and during the colder months, there is rarely an evening when I don’t have a pot of soup ready to dish up to them – and quite amazingly their favourite soup and the one that they demand is vegetable soup. I vary this to include a combination of the following, onion, celery, leeks, potatoes, carrots, parsnips… basically whatever I have on hand. I don’t have a blueprint recipe for this soup, because it varies depending on what I have in the vegetable basket. The basis of all the soups I make is a well-flavoured stock. Sometimes I use vegetable stock and other times I use chicken stock. Mostly I use homemade stocks, made from scratch, but if I have none I use stockpots – concentrated stocks that can be bought in tiny little tubs, flavoured with herbs and meat extracts which can be popped into the soup as you are simmering the vegetables.

Although, I like both chunky soups, where the vegetables are discernible and I also like puréed soups, my gang much prefer the latter, so this is what I tend to make most often.

Every now and again, I like to make something a little different, to vary the ingredients a little to try and try and introduce my three to different flavours in the hope that they will become less conservative about what they eat. This soup is my attempt at doing so and uses one of my favourite ingredients – smoked haddock.

I didn’t overwhelm the soup with a large amount of fish, but used enough so that the slight smokiness of the fish came through. The finished soup was absolutely delicious and packed full of flavour. We all loved it.

Try and get natural dyed smoked haddock; it is far preferable to the bright orange smoked fish that can be bought, but can be a little tricky to get your hands on.

This soup is intended to be served silkily smooth so it is puréed, but if you want to add a little bit of texture, you can add a few flakes of the cooked flaked fish on top, when you serve it. After puréeing the soup, I pass the soup through a fine sieve to make sure that it is like liquid velvet when you eat it, but this is not absolutely necessary. After that a little cream and a few finely chopped chives is all you need to finish the dish off.

The soup is lovely served with the potato scones that I recently gave the recipe for. The recipe can be accessed here.

Ingredients:

50g butter
250g onions, chopped

250g leeks, sliced (white parts only)

100g potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes

A sprig of fresh thyme
A pinch of curry powder

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

600ml vegetable stock

200ml single cream

180g smoked haddock, cut into bite sized pieces

To garnish:

Cream

Fresh chives, finely chopped
 

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat and add the onions, leeks, potatoes and sprig of thyme. Allow the vegetables to sweat, without colouring for about ten minutes until they are tender and the onions and leeks are translucent.

2. Add a pinch of curry powder and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix everything together and then add the stock and smoked haddock. Bring up to the boil over a moderate heat and then reduce the temperature and allow simmer for ten minutes.

3. Remove the sprig of thyme. Place the soup in a blender and purée for a couple of minutes until smooth. If you want a flawlessly smooth soup, you can then pass the soup through a sieve into a clean saucepan.

4. Add the cream and stir through. Check the seasoning and adjust as necessary. Heat the soup over a moderate heat until piping hot and then serve in warm bowls garnished with a swirl of cream and a few chopped chives.

Serves 4-6.
 

Potato Scones

This is a great recipe for using up leftover mashed potato. The dough for the scones can be made very quickly and all-in-all this is an incredibly fuss-free recipe to make. From start to finish it takes about 25 minutes to whip up a batch.

I have mentioned before how my family are not big potato eaters, favouring rice or pasta based meals. However, there is a kitchen stampede whenever there are home-cooked roast potatoes on offer. My children also like to eat mashed potatoes but exert rigorous quality control and will reject without mercy any mash that contains lumps or is gluey in texture. Luckily I have a potato ricer – an invaluable piece of kitchen equipment, which ensures lump-free, silky mashed spuds!

I like to use a floury potato like a King Edward or a Rooster to make mashed potatoes and thereafter these scones when I have leftovers. Feel free to use whatever potato variety you prefer, the only caveat being to steer away from waxy or new potatoes as they will make your finished scones quite heavy.

The finished scones are surprising light to eat and this is in part achieved by using a floury potato, but also by handling the mixed dough as little as possible once you have mixed it up.

If you don’t have leftover mashed potato, you can of course cook some potatoes specifically for use in these scones. Rather that peeling and boiling the potatoes, I bake them and then scoop out the hot flesh and pass it through a potatoes ricer (you don’t need to add milk or butter – but rather use the potatoes as they are).

I have kept these scones simple; merely flavouring them with a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, but you can experiment and add fresh herbs or spices. I particularly like the inclusion of chopped chives or thyme and sometimes a pinch of ground cayenne pepper adds a certain piquancy, whilst the addition of caraway seeds creates an unusual scone that is perfect to eat with smoked salmon.

One final recommendation – if you are a butter lover as I am, you must have one of these scones as they emerge piping hot fresh from the oven, split and spread generously with butter… absolute heaven!!!

      

Ingredients:

225g self-raising flour
A pinch of sea salt and a little freshly ground black pepper

50g butter, softened

175g mashed potato

1 egg, lightly beaten

25 - 50ml milk
 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C/Fan Oven 180C/Gas Mark 6. Lightly flour a baking tray and set aside.

2. Sieve the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and add some freshly ground black pepper. Rub in the butter so that the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and there are no large lumps of butter remaining. (If you want to add other ingredients, by way of freshly chopped herbs or any spice, do it at this stage and mix through).

3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg and enough milk to make a make a soft dough when everything is mixed together. (You may not need all the milk so add it gradually).

4. Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured work-surface, knead briefly and flatten with your hands until it is about 3cms thick. Cut out rounds from the dough using a 6-7cm round cookie cutter and place on the prepared baking tray. Gather up the off cuts and use to cut out some more scones.

5. Brush the top of the scones with a little milk and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on top of each. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes until well risen and golden brown.

Makes 6-8 scones.
 

Greengage Custard Tart

I have fallen completely in love with greengages – a variety of plum which possess a beautiful sweetness. Greengages are considered a dessert plum and can be eaten raw, but I find that they really come into their own when cooked or baked. This makes them perfect for using in cakes, tarts and a whole range of other recipes.

When cooked, greengages are still succulent and, as already mentioned, their natural sweetness is enhanced, but they don’t release excessive juice that adversely affects the cake or tart in which they are baked.

One of the most attractive qualities of greengages is their colour, which can range from golden yellow to an iridescent green, like the ones that I purchased recently and are in the photos accompanying this post.

Greengages are extremely popular in France, but can be difficult enough to get your hands on in conventional supermarkets in Ireland. Luckily my local farmers’ market had some, so not being familiar with them and feeling a little adventurous, I snapped up a large quantity. I can truly say that I was impressed with them and thought they had a refinement about them that ordinary plums don’t necessarily have.

Greengages thrive in temperate climates and can be grown very successfully in Ireland provided you have a sheltered spot. They don’t tend to be grown commercially on a large scale, but are more often found in a domestic setting.

With my newly discovered enthusiasm for this beautiful fruit, I think that I would definitely love to plant a few trees and a visit to a few garden centre and nurseries looks like it will soon be on the cards. Apparently greengage jams and compotes are incredibly delicious so rather than have to go on the hunt for the fruit when it is in season, it would be wonderful to be able to go out to my back garden and pick fruit from my own trees.

The recipes that I recently posted for financiers and friands used quite a large number of egg whites, which meant that I have had quite a few yolks left over. Keen to use up some of these I decided that for my first greengage ‘experiment’ I would make a custard tart into which I would set the greengages. To be honest, this is merely a variation of a custard tart that I often make using other stone fruits. I have successfully made it using peaches, plums, cherries and apricots, so rather than overcomplicate matters I opted to make a greengage version. It was absolutely heavenly. The silky, just-set custard with the baked greengages slightly caramelised at the edges on a crisp pastry base was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten – it truly was!

Although I have made a classic custard, simply flavoured with the seeds of a vanilla pod, other flavours could be added. I think that ginger would work particularly well with the greengages, so the next time I make this tart, I think that I will infuse the custard with a little preserved stem ginger or alternatively I might use some ground ginger in the pastry.

I served the finished tart completely cooled, but not chilled – this meant that the custard was velvety smooth and had a subtlety of taste that still remained but would have been lost had it been served chilled. This tart is better eaten on the day that it is made, but if you do want to store it in the fridge I strongly recommend that you allow it to come back up to room temperature.

I chose to serve the tart as it was, without any accompaniments, as I really felt that it was rich enough without adding whipped cream or ice-cream on the side.

Ingredients:

Pastry:
175g plain flour

50g icing sugar

100g butter, cubed

1 egg yolk

1tblsp water

To grill the greengages:

8-10 greengages, halved and stoned

2tblsp caster sugar

A little lightly beaten egg white to seal the pastry

Custard:

1 large egg + 3 yolks

50g caster sugar

The seeds from 1 vanilla pod or 1tsp of vanilla extract
250ml double cream

100ml milk
 

Method:

Pastry:

1. Sieve the flour and icing sugar into a large mixing bowl. Add the diced butter and using your fingertips, rub into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolk and water. Using a fork, mix everything until it comes together into a dough. Turn out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly to form a smooth ball. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for at least half an hour.

To blind-bake the pastry:

3. Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan Oven 170C/Gas Mark 5.

4. Roll out the pastry thinly to a thickness of about 4mm and use to line a 23cm round x 4cm deep tart tin with removable base. Place on a large baking tray.

5. Prick the pastry several times with a fork and then place some crumpled non-stick baking parchment on the pastry. Fill with baking beans and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Remove the baking parchment and baking beans and brush the pastry with some of the beaten egg-white. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.

6. Remove the blind-baked pastry base from the oven and set aside to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 140C/Fan Oven 130C/Gas Mark 1.

To grill the greengages:

7. Put the temperature on your grill up to the highest setting.

8. Place all the greengages, cut side up on a small baking tray and sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of caster sugar. Place under the grill for 5 minutes until the sugar melts and is starting to caramelise on the greengages. Remove from the grill and set aside to cool.

Custard:

9. In a medium sized mixing bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar and seeds from the vanilla pod together until pale and creamy and the sugar has dissolved. Slowly add the cream and milk. Pass through a sieve into a clean jug.

To finish:

10. Place the grilled greengages, slightly overlapping and cut side up in the blind-baked pastry shell. Carefully pour in the custard and bake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes.

11. The tart is ready when the custard is almost set, but still has a very slight wobble in the centre (it will continue cooking as it cools). Remove from the oven and allow to cool. As the tart is baked at a low temperature, the custard will barely colour and will merely be a cream colour

Serves 8.