Turkish Rice Pudding & Linzertorte

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            FOOD FUNNY
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I know I've published this one before, but it's just so darned cute.
Thanks to Thelma Hershorn of Toronto for sending it this time.

A doctor was addressing a large audience. "The food we are consuming is
killing us. Red meat is awful. Soft drinks corrode your stomach lining.
Chinese food is loaded with MSG. High fat diets can be disastrous, and
none of us realizes the long-term harm caused by the germs in our
drinking water. But there is one thing that is the most dangerous of all
that we all have eaten, or will eat. Would anyone care to guess what
food causes the most grief and suffering for years after eating it?"

After several seconds of quiet, a little old man in the front row raised
his hand and said, "Wedding cake?"

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            TODAY'S RECIPES
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I know I've said this before, but if I don't deserve the award for the
most rice pudding recipes published, I'd like to know who does.
This one from Turkey features saffron and rose water for a uniquely
Middle Eastern flavor.

Turkish Rice Pudding (Zerde)

6 cups (1.5 L) water
1/2 cup (125 ml) short-grain (risotto) rice
3/4 cup (180 ml) sugar
A pinch of saffron threads
1/4 cup (60 ml) currants or raisins
1 Tbs (15 ml) rose water
Chopped blanched almonds or unsalted pistachios for garnish

Combine the water and rice in a pot and bring to a boil over high
heat. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Stir
in the sugar, saffron, and currants and continue simmering
uncovered for another 30 minutes. The pudding should be fairly
thick but looser than most other rice puddings. Remove from the
heat, stir in the rose water, and let cool. Serve warm, chilled, or
at room temperature, garnished with chopped nuts. Serves 6 to 8.

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This classic Austrian pastry is really more like a large cookie
than what we usually think of as a torte. Red jam (red currant or
raspberry) is traditional, but you can use any flavor that you
are partial to.

Linzertorte

1 cup (250 ml) blanched almonds
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (125 ml) sugar
1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground cinnamon
Grated zest of 1 lemon
8 Tbs (1 stick, 110 g) butter, cut into chunks
2 egg yolks
About 1 Tbs (15 ml) lemon juice or water
1 cup (250 ml) jam of your choice, strained if not already seedless
Powdered (confectioner's) sugar for garnish

Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over moderate heat just until they
are aromatic, about 3 minutes. Grind to a powder in an electric food
processor. Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon zest to the food
processor and pulse to combine the ingredients and chop the lemon zest.
Add the butter and process until crumbly. Transfer the mixture to a bowl
and stir in the egg yolks and lemon juice, adding a little more lemon
juice if necessary to allow the dough to be formed into a ball. Wrap the
dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll about 2/3 of
the dough on a floured surface and place in an 8- or 9-inch (20-23 cm)
tart pan. Prick all over with a fork and bake in a preheated 375F (190C)
oven just until it begins to darken, about 10 minutes. Remove from the
oven and cool for a few minutes while you roll the remaining dough and
cut it into strips. Spread the jam on the crust and top with the lattice
strips. Bake again until the crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Cool to room temperature and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Serves 6 to 8.
Received on Fri Jun 1 08:09:53 2007