Adrianne Welch's Linzer Tart
I found this recipe in the New York Times in 1984. I had just wrapped up a summer with the Elegant Picnic and was looking for new ideas for Christmas as well as desserts for the next season's picnic. This recipe JUMPED at me. I had always love Linzertortes, but the combination of chocolate meringue really intrigued and excited me. I made one, and the rest is history. I have served these at large parties and teas, and the first Christmas after we moved to Los Angeles, I believe that I made almost 35-40 of these and shipped them to our friends all across the country. When my Aunt Jessica received hers, she called my sister and told her that I had sent her the most interesting Pizza she had ever had. Needless to say, I make fewer and the list always includes our friend Michael Halpern who starts eating it at Christmas and finishes it around his birthday in January. THIS DESSERT IS VERY RICH AND SHOULD BE SERVED IN THIN WEDGES. IT IMPROVES WITH AGE UP TO THREE WEEKS. STORE IN A COOL DRY PLACE
THE PASTRY:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/3 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup unsalted butter -- slightly softened
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 egg yolks -- hard cooked and pressed through a sieve
2 raw egg yolks
Grated zest of small orange
Grated zest of small lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup finely ground blanched almonds
FILLING:
3/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves
2 teaspoons lemon juice
CHOCOLATE MERINGUE FOR LATTICE TOP:
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate -- melted
2 egg whites
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 pinch cinnamon
In a bowl, combine flour, salt and spices,
using whisk.
In the bowl of electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until Fluffy, about two
minutes. Add the hard-cooked-egg yolks, raw yolks, orange and lemon zest,
vanilla and almond extracts, and ground Almonds. Continue mixing until the
ingredients are well blended (about 30 seconds).
Mix in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, scraping the sides of the bowl after
each addition. Spread the pastry batter into the bottom of an 11 inch greased,
fluted tart pan with removable bottom lined with parchment.
Bake on center rack of 350 degree oven until pastry is uniformly golden
brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the tart and place on a cake rack. Adjust the
oven rack to its highest position. Turn oven to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix raspberry preserves with lemon juice and spread evenly over
the top of the pastry, leaving 1/4 inch border free of preserves.
For meringue, melt the chocolate and set aside. Combine egg whites and sugar in
the bowl of the electric mixer. Place the bowl over a saucepan of water at 115
degrees and whisk until the sugar crystals are dissolved. Remove from the heat
and beat with the electric mixer until stiff meringue forms (about 4 Minutes).
Using a rubber spatula, fold the cinnamon and chocolate into the meringue. Fill
the pastry bag fitted with no. 2 plain tube. Pipe lines one inch apart to form
lattice top over the area covered by the preserves. Then pipe continuous line
around the circumference of the tart and over the ¼ inch border.
Return the tart to the oven and place on the top rack. Bake the meringue until
firm to the touch (about 10 minutes).
Place on a cake rack and immediately dust the top with confectioners sugar.
Cover the tart with plastic wrap. The condensation will cause the sugar that
fell on the preserves to melt, leaving only sugar on the lattice top. Remove the
plastic after 3 minutes. Allow the tart to cool before placing in an air-tight
container.
Source:
"New York Times"
Recipe By :Adrianne
Welch
Serving Size : 16