THE SOUND OF MUSIC AND LINZERTORTE

Sing along with me....."The Hills Are Alive....with the Sound of Music".

 Do you remember the Von Trapp Family? Lately I have been determined to actually make some of the unique and meaningful recipes which have a special story behind them.  This includes the LINZERTORTE Recipe from the Von Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont.

This simple Austrian Pastry is delicious and easy to make.  Last year I had gotten permission from Sharon O' Connor (Menus and Music Series) to print this recipe on my blog.  It was presented to her by Marshall Faye, Pastry Chef of the Trapp Family Lodge and is featured in her "Holidays" Edition Cookbook and CD Combination. 

 Last night I made the torte and it was lovely all hot and bubbly coming out of the oven....

I still have my Sound of Music piano book and it brings back many memories of this wonderful movie with Julie Andrews and that incredible voice!

Here is the recipe so that you can make it: 

 LINZERTORTE

You will need:

 3 sticks of butter at room temperature, 1 1/2 cups of sugar 1 egg, 1 1/2 cups of ground walnuts, 3 cups all purpose flour, 

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/3 cup currant jelly and 1/3 cup raspberry jam ( I used 2/3 cup raspberry jam only) 1/4 cup sliced almonds (I had none in the pantry so skipped)  Powder sugar for sprinkling if desired.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, blend together the butter and sugar until creamy.  Beat in the egg, walnuts, flour and spices until a stiff dough is formed. Divide dough into 4 equal parts.
Grease and flour two 8" round cake pans. (I used a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom and only made one torte)

Pat 1 portion of the dough into a layer on the bottom of each pan.  On a floured surface, roll the remaining 2 portions of the dough into rectangular sheets about 1/4" thick. Cut the dough into3/4" wide strips.  Line the sides of each pan with 1 layer of the strips, pressing firmly.  

In a small bowl, combine the currant jelly and the raspberry jam, then spread half of this mix evenly onto the bottom of each torte.   Criss-cross the remaining strips of dough on top and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the jam bubbles.  Remove and let cool.  Remove from the pans and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Makes two 8" tortes