Cranberry Walnut Linzer Torte Recipes

CRANBERRY LINZER TORTE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Lower heat to a brisk simmer and stir frequently, until cranberries burst. Continue cooking, mashing fruit a bit with the back of a spoon, until thick as jam, about 30 minutes. Set aside. (Filling may be prepared in advance.)
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place hazelnuts and almonds on a baking sheet and bake about 10 minutes, until well browned. Rub skins off hazelnuts while still warm, discarding skins. Cool nuts, then grind finely in a food processor, adding 3 tablespoons of flour to keep them from becoming oily. (Nuts should have the texture of coarse cornmeal.) Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, combine butter, sugar, and lemon and orange zest. Beat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg, egg yolk and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, mix together ground nuts, the rest of the flour, cloves, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture in three parts, mixing each time until it forms a slightly sticky dough.
• Divide dough into two pieces, one slightly bigger. Form larger piece into a ball, wrap and flatten to a 1-inch thickness. Form smaller piece into a rough rectangle, wrap and flatten to a 1-inch thickness about 4 by 5 inches. Chill 3 to 4 hours, or overnight.
• Heat oven to 350. Butter and flour an 11-inch fluted French tart pan. Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand for 10 minutes. On floured parchment paper, roll the larger piece of dough into a 12-inch circle, dusting the top with flour as necessary. If dough is difficult to handle, chill again. Pat evenly into pan until sides and bottom are completely lined with dough about 1/8-inch thick. Refrigerate or freeze tart shell until firm.
• Roll out smaller piece of dough on floured parchment paper to rectangle about 10 by 12 inches and 1/8-inch thick. Cut into strips about 3/4 inch by 12 inches. Transfer parchment to a tray and refrigerate or freeze until firm.
• Spread cranberry jam evenly into shell. Lay strips across top in a lattice pattern. Form remaining dough scraps into a rope 1/2 inch in diameter and use it to encircle outer edge of tart. Score diagonally with the handle of a spoon or flute with fingers to make a border.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until jam is bubbling and pastry is lightly browned. Let cool, and dust with powdered sugar if desired. Serve in small wedges.

CRANBERRY-WALNUT LINZER TORTE

Steps:

• Combine the cranberries, three-fourths cup sugar, apple juice, one-half teaspoon cinnamon and cloves in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat about 15 minutes, until the mixture becomes thick like a jam. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Combine the walnuts, flour, cocoa, remaining one-fourth cup sugar, salt and remaining one-half teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl or a food processor. Add the butter, cut it in by hand or pulse it briefly in the food processor. Add the egg and water, mixing lightly to form a dough or, in a food processor, add the egg and water through the feed tube with the processor running.
• Gather the dough together and divide it into two parts, one slightly larger than the other. Pat the larger part into a flattened circle and transfer it to an 8- or 9-inch round cake pan with a removable bottom. Pat the dough evenly into the pan to cover the bottoms and sides up to about one-and-a-half inches high. Spread the cranberry jam into the pastry shell.
• Roll or pat the remaining dough into a rectangle about 8 by 5 inches. Slice it into about eight strips one-half-inch wide and arrange them over the cranberry filling in a lattice pattern, pressing the ends of the strips into the rim of the dough. Press a pattern into the rim of the dough with the tines of a fork.
• Bake for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake about 25 minutes longer, until the dough is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly.
• Allow to cool, then dust with sifted confectioners' sugar before serving.

CRANBERRY WALNUT TART

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles very coarse crumbs. Add egg and stir lightly with fork just until mixture forms a ball, adding the water if necessary. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour. , Grease a 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Press chilled pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of pan. Line pastry shell with foil; fill with pie weights, raw rice or beans to prevent shrinkage. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes. Remove weights and bake another 5 minutes. Cool. , Meanwhile, for filling, combine sugar, syrup, eggs, butter and zest in a large bowl; set aside. Place walnuts and cranberries in bottom of tart; pour sugar mixture into pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden, edge of filling is firm and center is almost set. Cool on wire rack. Chill until serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

BEST CHRISTMAS CRANBERRY TORTE

Steps:

• Combine graham cracker crumbs, pecans, sugar, and butter in a mixing bowl for crust. Press into the bottom and up the sides of an 8-inch springform pan. Chill.
• Meanwhile, combine cranberries and sugar for filling in a large mixing bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add egg whites, orange juice, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat using an electric mixer on low speed until frothy. Beat on high until stiff peaks form (when the tips stand straight), 6 to 8 minutes.
• Whip cream in a small mixing bowl until soft peaks (or until the tips curl over); fold into cranberry mixture. Turn into crust and freeze until firm, 8 hours to overnight.
• Stir sugar and cornstarch for glaze together in a saucepan. Stir in cranberries and water. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, just until cranberry skins pop, about 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes; do not chill.
• Remove torte from the pan. Place on a serving plate. Spoon cranberry glaze in the center; place orange slices around the outside.

CRANBERRY-GINGER LINZER TORTE COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine cranberries, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, water, ginger, and salt for filling in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Lower heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until cranberries burst. Continue cooking, mashing fruit a bit with the back of a spoon, until thick as jam, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat to cool completely. Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
• Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, and salt for cookies together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Mix butter and white sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until just combined. Add the vanilla. Gradually add in flour mixture on low speed just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough ¼-inch thick and cut into 2-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter. With 1/2 of the rounds, cut a hole from the middle of each round into a desired shape. Place all cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill for 15 minutes.
• While cookies chill, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until the edges just begin to brown or the cookies are crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven; let cookies cool for 1 minute on the pan, then remove to a wire rack and allow to cool completely, 15 to 20 minutes.
• When the cookies have cooled, place 1 teaspoon of filling on the flat side of each whole cookie, spreading it out to the edges with the back of the spoon. Dust the top of the cut-out cookies with confectioners' sugar. Place the sugared tops on the filled bottoms.