Christmas Reminders in Summer: the Linzertorte & Hosting the All-Right-Table at Café Slobbie

 Another regional delicacy, this one from the city of Linz in Austria.

The Linzertorte is made by filling a nut-based crust with raspberry jam. Traditionally, almonds are used, but the Pie Bible recommended hazelnuts for a more intensely nutty flavor. Instead of using raspberry jam, I tried making my own raspberry conserve (which is basically raspberries boiled down with sugar). I’d originally planned to make a half-sized tart, but I over-boiled the conserve and ended up with just barely enough for two mini tarts. But no matter – it just meant extra raspberry flavor! I’m really glad I made my own raspberry conserve because it was so much better than any jam I’ve ever tasted. Most jams are just sweet, but the conserve was also tart and intensely flavorful, like dozens of raspberries packed into every bite.

And the result? Another pie that tasted like Christmas! There is something about tart fruit and cinnamon-nuttiness that just remind you of Christmas. It gives you that fuzzy, hopeful feeling, with just a nip of cold… I guess this wasn’t quite the right pie to make in the middle of summer. Or maybe it was the perfect mental cooler to help beat the heat!

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I was asked to host a cooking workshop called the “All-Right-Table” at Café Slobbie, a restaurant run by a social enterprise. Each month, someone with a story about food shares her tale by cooking a dish with a group of people. It’s all about sharing through food. How appropriate! I talked about my on-going Pie Bible challenge, while teaching the basics of baking to pie newbies.

Despite the Christmas-connection, I picked the dried cranberry and walnut crostata because of its relative simplicity (you don’t even need a pie pan!). But trying to teach it to baking novices reminded me of how far I’ve come. Things I once struggled with, that I now do with a degree of dexterity, all needed to be explained verbally and backed up visually. Cutting the butter into the flour until it looks like “course meal”… Kneading the dough just enough to hold together, but not so much that it toughens… Teaching really is a whole other art!

I was really happy that all four of the pies came out really well! The filling was a little dry because the pies cracked (not enough time to chill properly) and a lot of the cream oozed out. But other than that, they were all very delicious. I was quite proud of the participants and their first (for most of them) successful pie-baking experience. I was, however, a little concerned that the workshop may have actually discouraged baking pies at home. The general sentiment seemed to be, ‘this pie is really good, but it’s too much work!’ Hmmm.. I can’t deny that it’s hard work, just affirm that it’s always worth it!

But ultimately, the workshop was about sharing through cooking, not pie-baking specifically. I hope it inspired some people to start their own projects or pick up a new, fun, meaningful hobby. Hobbies are, after all, a key ingredient to happiness:D