1/2 lb unsalted butter, chilled and
1 cut into bits
3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup raspberry preserves (12 oz)
2 tbsp soft butter
2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup cold water
2 tsp lemon juice
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine the chilled butter, 3 cups of the
flour and the sugar and, with your fingertips, rub until the mixture
resembles flakes of coarse meal. Beat in the egg and continue to mix
until the pastry is smooth. Shape it into a ball, wrap it in wax
paper, and refrigerate 1 hour, or until the dough is form.
With the back of a spoon, rub the preserves through a fine sieve set
over a 1-quart saucepan, then cook over moderate heat, stirring
constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they thicken into a thin
puree. Set aside off the heat.
Preheat the oven to 250F. Cut the chilled pastry in half and shape
each half into a rectangle. One half at a time, roll the pastry
between two sheets of lightly floured wax paper into a rectangle
approximately 10 inches wide and 15 inches long. With a pastry
brush, coat each of 2 cookie sheets with 1 tablespoon of butter and
sprinkle them with flour, tipping the sheets from side to side to
coat them evenly. Then invert the sheets and tap them against a hard
surface to dislodge any excess flour. Peel off the top sheets of wax
paper and use the bottom ones to lift the 2 rectangles of pastry onto
the 2 cookie sheets. Peel off the remaining sheets of wax paper. Bake
40 minutes, or until the pastry begins to turn a pale gold. Watch
carefully for any sign of burning and regulate the heat accordingly.
With a metal spatula, spread the raspberry puree evenly over one
sheet of the pastry, covering it completely and smoothly. Slide the
second sheet of pastry gently onto the first.
With a spoon stir the sugar, water and lemon juice together in a large
mixing bowl to form a thin paste. Spread the icing over the top layer
of pastry with the spatula, and set the cake aside to cool to room
temperature. With a small, sharp knife or pastry wheel, slice the
Aleksander Torte into strips 1 inch wide and 2 inches long, cutting
the ends on the diagonal.
Recipe By : Time-Life Foods of the World (Russian Cooking)
Servings: 48 servings
Aleksander Torte / Raspberry-Filled Pastry St Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Dessert; Fruit
The History of Recipes
Written recipes as a concept can be traced way back into the distant past, at least as far back as early Egypt, and potentially, even further back. In practice though, generally, these ancient cook books were just very basic hieroglyphic instructions for preparing food.
In an interesting twist, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to Professor Solomon Katz, is a collection of tablets in the Sumerian language which describe the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who tried it feel wonderful and blissful. Continuing our culinary historical journey, there are some interesting books published in the 1300s ; one book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary called `Curye on Inglish`. Don`t be fooled by the titles though, these two books are nothing to do with the indian food that appears on menues today, but rather recipes for the types of food enjoyed by the rich and powerful of that time. Later on, in the 15th century, the Crusaders brought back a variety of foods and spices from the holy lands, including spices such as basil and coriander. The introduction of these new foods and spices created a surge in recipe publications, some of which still exist in private collections. Over the succeeding few hundred years, the powerful families of Europe strove to offer the most extravagent banquests, and consequentially chefs and their recipe collections were highly sought after. Notwithstanding that, it was during the 1800s that haute cuisine and recipe publications really came of age. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, spent years to collecting, trying out, and writing down recipes common in their social group. The TV revolution brought us TV chefs and the demand for the spin-off recipe books. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the internet revolution, permitting everybody to access thousands of recipes such as those found on sites such as this. |
We hope you enjoy this Aleksander Torte _ Raspberry Filled Pastry St recipe.
