Crust
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 large egg
Filling
1 cup cherry preserves
½ cup chopped dried Bing cherries or other dried sweet cherries (about 2½ ounces)
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
¼ teaspoon almond extract
¼ cup unsalted natural pistachios, chopped
Glaze
1 large egg
2 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons sugar
CRUST: Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg and process just until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.
DO AHEAD: Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes to soften slightly before rolling out.
FILLING: Mix preserves, chopped cherries, lemon peel, and almond extract in medium bowl.
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325°F. Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 11-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of pan; trim overhang even with top of pan sides. Spread filling in crust; sprinkle with pistachios. Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 11-inch round; cut into ¾-inch-wide strips. Arrange several strips, spaced ¾ inch apart, over filling. Top with more strips at slight angle, forming lattice. Press strip ends to edge of pan, trimming overhang.
GLAZE: Beat egg and milk to blend in small bowl for glaze. Brush some of glaze over lattice crust; sprinkle with sugar.
Bake tart until crust is golden brown and cherry filling is bubbling thickly, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Cool tart completely in pan on rack.
DO AHEAD: Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.
Although the fillings may vary, the Linzertorte always has a tender nut crust (usually made with hazelnuts or almonds). This recipe makes enough dough for the torte and for a few extra cookies. To make cookies, roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out decorative shapes and bake at 350°F on a parchment-lined baking sheet until golden, about 10 minutes. 8 to 10 servings
1¼ cups hazelnuts, toasted, husked, cooled
2⅓ cups unbleached all purpose flour, divided
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ cups cherry preserves (preferably imported; about 18 ounces)Powdered sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Combine nuts and ½ cup flour in processor; finely chop nuts. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Add remaining 2 cups flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg to bowl; whisk to blend. Add butter. Using electric mixer at low speed, blend ingredients until coarse meal forms (this will take several minutes). Add egg yolks and vanilla. Beat until moist clumps form.
Gather dough into ball; press 1½ cups (packed) dough over bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Spread preserves on dough. Roll remaining dough out on sheet of parchment paper to 13×10-inch rectangle. Freeze rectangle 5 minutes to firm. Cut twelve ½-inch-wide lengthwise strips from rectangle. Arrange 6 strips across torte, spacing evenly. Arrange 6 more strips across torte in opposite direction, forming lattice. Seal ends of strips to dough edge; trim excess. Reserve all dough scraps to make cookies, if desired.
Bake torte until crust is golden brown and preserves are bubbling thickly, about 40 minutes. Cool torte completely on rack.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with foil; store at room temperature.
Push bottom of pan up to free torte from pan. Sift powdered sugar over edge of torte, if desired, and serve.
This tart combines a nutty short crust with a vanilla bean-infused, sour cream-lightened pastry cream. It then gets topped with a lovely plum compote. Alternatively, you could top the tart with fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries. 8 servings
Crust
¾ cup unbleached all purpose flour
¾ cup assorted nuts (such as walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts), toasted, cooled
¼ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk
Filling
2 teaspoons water
¼ teaspoon unflavored gelatin
3 large egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup whole milk
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
½ cup sour creamSanta Rosa Plum Compote (see recipe)
CRUST: Butter bottom of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Finely grind flour, nuts, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, blend until coarse meal forms. Add egg yolk; blend until moist clumps form. Press dough over bottom and up sides of pan. Pierce crust all over with fork. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake crust until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.
FILLING: Place 2 teaspoons water in very small cup. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes.
Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in medium bowl to blend. Pour milk into medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring milk to simmer. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolk mixture; return to saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until custard thickens and boils, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Scrape in gelatin mixture and stir to dissolve. Let stand 5 minutes.
Transfer custard to medium metal bowl. Discard vanilla bean. Set bowl over another bowl filled with ice and water; stir until custard is cool but not set, about 15 minutes. Fold in sour cream. Spread filling evenly in crust. Chill tart until filling sets, at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.
Cut tart into wedges. Spoon Santa Rosa Plum Compote over and serve.
Santa Rosa plums are large fruits with purplish crimson skin and red-blushed yellow flesh. When stewed into a compote, they become intensely colored and flavored. The pits are left in while cooking, which also adds to the flavor. The compote is great when paired with the tart, but it’s also delicious served over vanilla ice cream. 8 servings