Apple Tart With Walnut Crust

Makes 12 servings.

I like the texture and taste of this crust. It is easy to roll out and easy to patch as needed. I also like to serve it warm with ice cream or sorbet.

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

  • 1½ cups unbleached all- purpose flour
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • ½ cup walnuts
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted margarine, chilled and cut into small pieces
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon ice water
  • 1 egg white, lightly beaten with a fork

FILLING

  • 5 medium Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, quartered. Cut each quarter into 4 wedges
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted margarine
  • ½ tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
  • ¼ cup apricot preserves

PREPARATION

TO MAKE THE CRUST

  1. Place the flour, sugar and walnuts in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the margarine and the egg yolk. Pulse until the dough resembles corn meal. Add vanilla extract and water and pulse until the dough clings to the blade.
  2. Turn out dough into a lightly floured surface or board and knead into a smooth ball. Flatten the ball, wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for about an hour.
  3. Place the dough between 2 lightly floured sheets of wax paper and roll it out to a 12-13 inch round. 
  4. The dough will spread more easily if you occasionally turn it over, lift the top wax paper and flour the dough lightly.
  5. Peel off the wax paper and wrap the dough very loosely over the rolling pin. Unroll over an ungreased 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable rim.
  6. Pat the dough gently into the sides of the pan and up the sides (do not be afraid if the dough cracks; you can easily patch it). Roll the rolling pin over the top to trim off the excess dough. Refrigerate the shell for 30 minutes or longer.
  7. Preheat oven to 350F
  8. Prick the dough lightly with a fork (to prevent puffiness and air pockets) and brush with the egg white. Place on a cookie sheet (it is easier to handle).
  9. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly colored.
  10. While the crust is baking prepare the apples and the glaze.

TO MAKE THE GLAZE

  1. Place the margarine, sugar, cinnamon and apricot preserves in a small pan and heat gently.

ASSEMBLE THE TART

  1. Cool the shell a bit. Arrange the apples attractively in overlapping slices in the shell and brush the glaze over the apples.
  2. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the apples are tender but not falling apart.

TO SERVE

Place the tart on a round object, such as a can and remove the rim. Loosen the bottom with a thin metal spatula and slide onto a serving platter.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

 
 

Flourless Chocolate Almond Torte

Makes 12 servings.

This cake is good to keep in your repertoire any time of the year and particularly for Passover. It is gluten free, easy to make and it remains moist refrigerated. I like to serve it with raspberries and chocolate sorbet, but it is equally delicious with other fruits and other sorbets or even on its own.

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 ounces Smart Balance (See Note)

    7 ounces high quality imported semi-sweet chocolate, broken into small pieces

    ½ teaspoon almond extract

    5 large eggs, at room temperature (See Note)

    ¾ cup sugar

    5 ounces skinless almonds, semi-finely ground (See Note)

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. 

  2. Line a 9 x 2½ inch spring form with parchment paper, making sure that the paper extends a little over the rim to make it easier to lift.  

  3. Place the chocolate and the Smart Balance in the top of a double boiler. Cover and set over simmering water until chocolate and the Smart Balance are melted, stir from time to time. Remove the top of the double boiler and cool a bit. 

  4. Place the egg yolks in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Using the balloon whisk attachment, beat the yolks at medium speed for about 5 minutes, while gradually adding the sugar.  The yolks will become pale and bubbly. 

  5. With a rubber spatula, add the almond extract, the melted chocolate, and the almonds. Combine well.  

  6. Beat egg whites in the mixer bowl at high speed until stiff.  

  7. With a rubber spatula, fold half of the egg whites into the chocolate batter. Reverse the process, pouring the chocolate batter over the egg whites. Gradually fold the batters together making a motion like a figure 8 until all the egg whites have disappeared.

  8. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. 

  9. Bake the torte in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. When it’s ready, a cake tester inserted in the center of the torte will come out almost dry.   

  10. Cool on a wire rack. 

  11. Keep refrigerated.

NOTES:

Smart Balance is a pareve buttery spread which I substitute for margarine.

It is easier to separate the eggs straight from the refrigerator, while they are cold, as the egg yolk tends to break as they warm.

When the recipe calls for stiffly beaten egg whites, the best way to know whether they are fully beaten is to tilt the bowl.  They will stay in the bowl, even when the bowl is tilted.  If the egg whites are not beaten enough the whites will start to slide out.

I grind the almonds in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. No need to do it in batches when it is such a small amount of almonds.  

When slicing the cake, you may need to wash the knife from time to time.

 
 

Hazelnut Walnut Biscotti

Makes about 7 dozen.

These biscotti are lovely to have on hand to serve with tea, espresso or coffee. They remain fresh refrigerated in a tight-fitting container with wax paper between the layers.  

INGREDIENTS

  • ¼ pound hazelnuts

  • 3/4 pound walnuts

  • 3 cups sifted unbleached all –purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • Scant ½ cup sugar

  • Scant 1 cup light brown sugar

  • 1½ teaspoon cinnamon

  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten with a fork

  • ½ cup vegetable oil

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.                    

  2. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the brown skin darkens and cracks slightly. While the nuts are still hot, rub them in a dish towel to remove most of their skins (some skin will remain) . 

  3. Line an 18x13 inch cookie sheet with parchment paper.  

  4. Chop the hazelnuts semi-coarsely in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Transfer to a large bowl. Chop the walnuts, semi-coarsely in 3 batches in a food processor and add to the hazelnuts. 

  5. Sift flour with the baking powder and add to the nuts along with both sugars and cinnamon. Combine well. 

  6. Make a well in the center of the bowl, add the eggs and the oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough begins to stick together, then work with your hands to combine. Finally, transfer the dough to a work surface and continue working with your hands to form a smooth rectangle, about 6 by 6 inches (this step may take a while.) 

  7. Cut the dough into 4 equal parts. 

  8. On a lightly floured work surface roll each piece of dough into a 12 x 1 inch smooth log. Lightly flatten the top and square the ends. Place the logs side by side on the cookie sheet, leaving a little space between them.   

  9. Bake for 30 minutes until the tops are firm to the touch.

  10. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board.

  11. While the logs are still warm, cut them with a serrated bread knife into ½ inch slices (do not be discouraged if some biscotti brake, it is the hard nuts that make it difficult to  cut through).

  12. Arrange the biscotti on the same cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes, turn over and bake for another 10 minutes.      

  13. Cool on a wire rack.

 
 

Peach Crumble

Makes 12 servings.

This dish is a wonderful summer pareve fruit dessert that serves a large number of people. You can make it with any fruit, but in the summer it's especially good with fresh peaches.  It is good warm, at room temperature or cold and can be served with different kinds of sorbets or ice cream. This dessert can be assembled earlier in the day, refrigerated and baked closer to serving time. 

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 lbs peaches, not overly ripe
  • 2 tablespoons sugar 
  • 1 tablespoon cognac
  • 1 cup walnuts, semi finely ground (4 ounces whole).  See Note.
  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 
  • 2/3 cups scant measure sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder 
  • 2 large egg yolks 
  • 8 tablespoon unsalted cold margarine, cut into ½ inch cubes, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing pan

PREPARATION

  1. Grease an 8 x 12 inch Pyrex pan, or an attractive dish that can go from oven to table, with margarine.
  2. Preheat oven to 375F.
  3. Rinse, dry and pit fruits. Cut into large pieces, place in a bowl and toss with sugar and cognac.
  4. In a medium bowl combine walnuts, flour, sugar and baking powder. Add the yolks and margarine and work with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  5. Put half of this mixture in the bottom of the pan, scatter over the fruits and sprinkle the rest of the crumbs on top.
  6. Bake for about 35 minutes until the fruits are almost soft.

NOTE

I like to grind walnuts in a food processor.

 
 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen 1 ½ inch size cookies. 

Children as well as grown-ups love these cookies. They freeze very well.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

  • ½ teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/3 cup sugar

  • ¼ cup light brown sugar

  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into quarters

  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 large egg, at room temperature

  • 4 ounces high quality, imported semi-sweet chocolate, broken into small pieces, coarsely chopped (See Note)

  • ½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (See Note)

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat the oven to 375F. 

  2. In a small bowl combine flour, and baking powder. In another small bowl combine both sugars. 

  3. Cream the butter with an electric mixer adding the sugar gradually until light and fluffy, (about 2 minutes.)  Add vanilla extract and the egg.  With a wooden spoon add the flour and combine thoroughly.  

  4. With a rubber spatula fold in chocolate and nuts. Combine well. 

  5. Line a large cookie sheet (18 x13) with parchment paper.  

  6. Place generous teaspoons of the batter on the cookie sheet with some space between the cookies and bake for about 20 minutes. When done, the top will be firm to the touch.

NOTE:

I chop the chocolate and the walnuts separately in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. 

Place the cookies side by side in an air-tight plastic container with wax paper between the layers, to refrigerate or to freeze.