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My first introduction to Sacher torte was at the Window Shop in Cambridge, MA (See PS below). Many years later Ed and I visited Christopher at his loft in Brooklyn and I found I was to be treated to this awesome desert again. Not only treated to the finished product but also the opportunity of seeing Christopher create this dessert. As Ed and I watched, Christopher chopped the chocolate with errant bits flying all over his kitchen. We watched as he prepared the torte and apricot glaze and as he nervously prepared the chocolate glaze anxious that it would be just the right consistency (it was). The resultant torte, served with unsweetened whipped cream (along with an introduction to a whipped cream maker) more than lived up to my expectations. Recently I asked Christopher to share this recipe and he obliged by sending me several pages scanned from Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafes of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers. While I usually edit/modify recipes for this blog I have taken the liberty of quoting the entire recipe and all of the interesting history and commentary that Rick Rodgers provides. What a job - doing research for this cookbook!

"THE STORY BEHIND SACHERTORTE

Sachertorte is the culinary symbol of Vienna, as recognizable as "The Blue Danube". Even though you can find the chocolate-glazed cake at every shop in town, the right to use the name "The Original Sacher Torte" has been hotly contested. In fact, it was the subject of a seven-year court case between Demel and Sacher that had all of Vienna watching every move.

The story begins in 1832 with Klemens, Prince von Metternich, one of the masterrminds of the
Congress of Vienna and no slouch in the party department. Here was a man who knew what he liked, and got it. He had a big party coming up and he ordered his personal chef to create a new dessert. The prince wanted to make a splash, so he instructed the chef to come up with the opposite of the light, fluffy, creamy "feminine" Torten popular at the time, and to surprise his guests with a dryer, more compact "masculine" cake.

The chef never was able to fulfill the prince's request, because he fell ill. The kitchen's sixteen-year-old second apprentice, Franz Sacher, would have to take over in the masters absence. Chocolate, one of the most aggressiye and "masculine" flavors in the kitchen, would be his cake's motif, tempered by the tart tang of apricot preserves. (More than one hundred years later, just where young Sacher spread the preserves on the cake would become the crux of the argument between the two master bakeries.) The recipe for the chocolate cake layer was nothing new, but the glossy chocolate topping was a true innovation.

The dessert was a sensation, and Franz was quickly catapulted out of the prince's employ into the Hungarian court of Prince Pal Antal Esterhazy. It was actually in Budapest that the cake made its biggest splash, whence it traveled back to Vienna. Sacher returned to Vienna to assume a high position at Dehne (precursor to Demel), the royal bakery to the emperor. From there he offered the Sachertorte to the willing lips of the masses. It is interesting, if not revealing, to note that in the Hotel Sacher's press material on the history of the cake, Franz's stint at Dehne is omitted.

With his earnings, Franz opened his own fancy grocery near St. Stephen's Cathedral, of course taking his recipe with him. Dehne, understandably, continued to sell the cake as their top moneymaker, even after Christoph Demel purchased the bakery and renamed it in 1857. Franz's son, Eduard, followed his father in the food business, training in London and Paris. Upon his return, he eventually opened a restaurant not far from the newly constructed Ringstrasse. It was an immediate success, perhaps due to its private dining rooms, which allowed for extremely intimate, very discreet dinners. In 1876, Eduard moved his operation to a premier location behind the new opera house, where he established a full-scale hotel on the upper floors.

Under the autocratic control of Eduard Sacher's cigar-smoking widow, Anna, Hotel Sacher flourished and became one of the most Famous hotels in the world. Waltzes, songs, movies, and operettas have been written about it, attempting to evoke its unsurpassable elegance.

After World War II, Viennese businesses had to fight hard for their piece of the Austrian economy. Anything that would help give brand identificetion to a product was welcome. So it happened that the owners of the Sacher, the Gurtler and Siller families, decided to sue Demel over which establishment had the right to call its cake the "original".

Seven long years of court depositions and the dragging out of ancient recipes awarded the Sacher the exclusive rights to the phrase, "The Original Sacher Torte," allowing them to place an official chocolate seal on each cake. The court concluded that Franz Sacher's originl recipe split the cake horizontally with apricot preserves between the layers and glazing the top and sides of the cake. The Demel version does not split the cake. So now the capiltalized "Sacher Torte" means the certified cake,sold only by the hotel's bakery, where as a "Sachertorte" indicates a cake made in the Sacher style.

The official recipe for the Hotel Sacher's torte remains a secret, locked away in a steel safe. The
alleged recipe did leak, however, when some former employees of the hotel printed it in the lean post-war years. Now many different incarnations of the Sachertorte exist, and most of them are excellent.

While there are many "authentic" Sachertort recipes out there (and I have probably tested them
all), many of them are victims of faulty translation from German to English and metric to volume measurements. To mention just two examples I discovered in my latest research: The "originaI" recipe calls for 110 grams of confectioners' sugar, which weighs 4 ounces and measures I cup by volume. It also calls for 110 grams granulalted sugar, which may weigh the same 4 ounces, but measures only about 1/2 cup by volume. Many translations mistakenly convert this to I cup. This mistake makes a very heavy cake. Also, some versions call for "kneading" the "dough," a glaring mistranslation for "stirring the batter," and call for keeping the oven door propped open with a wooden spoon - an obvious throwback to the days when wood-burning ovens, which run hot, were used to bake the cake.

I shared a Sacher Torte in the Blaue Bar (Blue Bar) of the Hotel Sacher with Chrisltian Bar, the
hotel's food and beverage manager, and learned some interesting statistics about Sacher Torte production. The Sacher bakes about 300,000 cakes a year, approximaltely 800 a day, with peak production at Christmas, when many Sacher Tortes are ordered by mail. The fourteen bakers use more than 1.2 million eggs a year and mix three different chocolates to make the glaze. Not all Sacher Tortes are sold in the hotel; a brisk business is done in the airport gift shops and other locations off premises.

For the true Sachertorte/Sacher Torte experience, visits to the hallowed rooms of both Hotel
Sacher and Demel are required pilgrimages for the serious dessert lover. You must taste both and make your own choice. You may not agree with the court, but it will be heavenly trying to decide.

SACHERTORTE

Makes 12 to 16 servings

In the past few years, bakers have been upping the ante with chocolale desserts (think of your
local American bistro''s "warm chocolate cakes with gooey chocolate centers"). The Sachertorte
is a refined, elegant combination of chocolate flavors, complemented by a compulsory mound
of Schlag. The whipped cream is an important part of the picture, as it moistens the frankly
fIrm cake layers. Every bit of Sachertorte is supposed to be dipped in the whipped cream.
This version is based on the recipe in Das Grofse Sacher Bachbuch ("The Big Sacher Baking
Book") which should be a reliable Source.

Don't expect the cake layer to look perfect; sometimes the air bubbles are large and make
holes in the top of the cake, if that happens take some cake trimmings and mash them with a little of the apricot glaze to make at paste, and use a metal icing spatula to "spackle" the holes with the mixture.

TORTE

4 1/2 ounces high-qualiiy bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
9 T (1 stick plus 1 T) unsalted butter at cool room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour (for this, recipe, spoon gently into cup and level top)

ASSEMBLY
1 cup Apricot Glaze (recipe follows), warm
Small Batch Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows)
Sweetened Whipped Cream

1. To make the torte: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment or wax paper. Dust the sides of the pan with flour and tap out the excess.

2. In the top part of a double boiler over very hot, but not simmering water, or in a microwave
at medium power, melt the chocolare. Remove from the heat or the oven, and let stand, stirring
often, until cool.

3, Beat the butter in bowl of a heavy-duty standing mixer fitted with the paddle blade on
medium-high speed until smooth, about minute. On low speed, beat in the confectioners'
sugar. Return the speed to medium-high and beat until light in color and texture, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of bowl. Beat in the chocolate and vanilla.

4. Beat the egg whites and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer on
high speed just until they form soft, shiny peaks. Do not overbeat. Stir about one fourfh of the
beaten whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold the remaining w'hites,
leaving a few visible wisps of whites. Sift half of the flour over the chocolate mixture, and fold in
with a large balloon whisk or rubber spatula.Repeat with the remaining flour.

5. Spread evenly in the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. (The cake will dome in the center.) Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan, and invert the cake onto the rack. Remove the paper and reinvert on another rack to turn right side up. Cool completely.

6. To assemble: Using a long serrated knife, trim the top of the cake to make it level. Cut the cake horizontally into two equal layers. Place one cake layer on an 8-inch cardboard round. Brush the top of the cake layer with the apricot glaze. Place the second cake layer on top and brush again. Brush the top and sides of the cake with the remaining glaze. Transfer the cake to a wire rack placed over a jelly-roll pan lined with wax paper. Let cool until the glaze is set.

7. Make the chocolate glaze (it must be freshly made and warm). Pour all of the warm chocolate glaze on top of the cake. Using a metal offset spatula gently smouth the glaze over the cake, allowing it to run down the sides, being sure that the glaze completely coats the cake (patch any bare spots with the spatula and the icing that has dripped). Cool until the glaze is barely set, then transfer the cake to a serving plate. Refrigerate until the glaze is completely set, at least 1 hour.Remove the cake from thc refrigerator about hour before serving.

8. To serve, slice with a sharp knife dipped into hot water. Serve wirh a large dollop of whipped
cream on the side.

MAKE AHEAD
The cake can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and srored in an airttight cake container at
room temperature.

APRICOT GLAZE
Marillenglasur
Makes about 1 cup

Fruir glazes - easily prepared from preserves - add flavor, protect crisp crusts from getting soft
in contact with moist fillings, and provide a slick undercoat that adds an extra sheen when another glaze is poured over the dessert. Apricot and red currant are the most versatile, as their acidity balances fhe sweetness of the dessert, but you can use another favorite flavor, if you wish. Just be sure to use preserves, and not jam or jelly, which have different fruit - sugar ratios. The preserves must be simmered for a few miltules to evaporate excess liquid and give a firm, thick finish to the glazed desserts. It's best to turn an entire 12-ounce jar of preserves into glaze, storing the glaze in the empty preserves jar so you have small amounts ready when needed.

1 1/2 cups apricot preserves
2 tablespoons golden rum or water

Bring the preserves and rum to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often.
Cook, stirring often, until the last drops that cling to the spoon are very sticky and reluctant
to leave the spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Strain through a wire sieve into a small bowl, pressing
hard on the solids. Use warm.

RED CURRANT GLAZE
Substitute red currant preserves for the apricot preserves.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE
Schokoladeglasur
Makes about 2 cups

This ebony-dark, shiny, intensely sweet chocolate glaze was originally invented to coat Sachertorte, but it's a great icing to use for many other baked goods. The authentic icing must be cooked into syrup that hardens to a fudge-like consistency (some bakers also temper the syrup, a difficult optional step). Schokoladeeglasur stays glossy at any temperature, as long as the cake has an undercoat of preserves, Be sure to allow the undercoat to cool and set before applying the chocolate glaze, and use the chocolate glaze immediately after making it, while it is still warm and fluid.

What to do with the leftover glaze that inevitably drips off the pastries and ends up underneath the cooling rack? It makes great hot chocolate! Scrape it up and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator. When you want a cup of hot chocolate, place milk and a few tablespoons
of the chocolate glaze to taste in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat, whisking often, to
warm the milk and melt the glaze.

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
6 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1. In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan (no larger than 2 quarts, or the mixture will reduce
too rapidly and burn before it reaches the correct temperature) over high [medium-high? - see below] heat, bring the sugar, water, and chocolate to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Attach a candy thermometer to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring, until the mixture reaches 234 degrees F., about 5 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat and stir to cool and thicken slightly. about 1 minute. Use immediately. When pouring, do not scrape the pan.

PS RE: VIENNESE PASTRY:

While writing about Viennese pastry I cannot help but recall the Window Shop, later The Blacksmith House in Cambridge, MA:
http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~sch00973

When we were living in Cambridge it was our source for birthday cakes, usually a Wiener Torte, one of the "light, fluffy, creamy "feminine" Torten" referred to above. Their awesome repertoire included the Wiener torte,Sachertorte, Mozart torte, Linzer torte and apple torte. The Linzer torte (recipe, NY Times Cookbook version, posted on this blog) has long been Christopher's birthday cake of choice. I have dresses in my closet from the Window Shop and Ed and I celebrated his successful defense of his doctoral theses with dinner there. We celebrated Alexandra's arrival with a real birthday Weiner Torte from the Blacksmith House Bakery.

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Christopher cooked some king salmon we got at the Lobster Place Seafood Market in Chelsea Market when we were visiting him in Brooklyn a few weeks ago. He used the Red Miso Sauce recipe which he had previously shared with me (and I took the liberty of posting on this blog). The salmon was awesome but still I decided I wanted to explore other ways to cook this fish while it is still in season. This recipe is loosely adapted from Cory Schreiber's Wildwood:Cooking from the Source in the Pacific Northwest, a cookbook Alexandra gave me shortly after she moved to Portland. My version has been modified to reflect ingredients I had on hand when I found the recipe and personal preferences.

The author writes, "When a salmon fillet is properly cooked, you'll find that it flakes off the skin with relative ease. Baking the fish on rock salt tempers and distributes the heat, resulting in moist evenly cooked flesh."

serves 2 - 3
Prepare the vinaigrette* by whisking together

1 T olive oil
1 T tarragon vinegar
1/2 t Dijon mustard or Ducktrap River Mustard Dill Sauce
1/2 medium red onion (or equal amount of sweet white onion), thinly sliced
1/2 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced (optional)
1 t capers, drained
1 t chopped fresh fennel weed
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Cover and refrigerate if not using within the next few hours. Can be made up to two days ahead [but I serve at room-temperature].

Prepare:

1 pound [wild] salmon

remove pin bones, leave skin intact. Rub with

1 T [Wildwood uses 2 T for 4 pounds of fillet] mixed minced fresh herbs such as tarragon, basil, flat-leafed parsley and thyme [I used fennel weed, sage and thyme because that is what I had on hand the 2 times I have made this dish].

1 1/2 t fennel seeds cracked** [I used regular fennel seeds the first time, and omitted the second]

1/4 t salt [I omitted]

1/8 t freshly ground black pepper.

If not cooking immediately, cover and refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cover a roasting pan large enough to accommodate the fish with aluminum foil [turning up the edges slightly]. Cover the surface of the foil with

Rock or kosher salt

Place the salmon, skin side down on the salt.

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Bake in the oven until opaque on the outside and slightly translucent in the center. Wildwood says 35 to 45 minutes for 4 pounds of fish; I cooked 20-25 minutes(convection oven) for one pound of fish. Time will vary according to the thickness of the piece too. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes (the salmon will continue to cook).

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To serve use a wide spatula to remove the salmon from the salt. Remove the skin and portion the salmon onto plates [or a large warm serving platter]. Spoon the red onion-caper vinaigrette over and serve [I serve on the side - especially with the more delicate king salmon].

Ed's Birthday dinner - 1 June 2010:

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*WILDWOOD RED ONION-CAPER VINAIGRETTE (for 2 pound3 of salmon/8 servings as an entrée):
1 c olive oil
1/4 c sherry vinegar
1 t Dijon mustard
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 t capers, drained
1 t chopped fresh basil
1 t salt
3/4 t freshly ground black pepper

**[WILDWOOD] CRACKED FENNEL SEEDS
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Put the desired amount of seeds in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan. Toast in the oven for 10 minutes, or until they begin to darken in color, occasionally shaking the pan so the seeds will toast evenly. Remove the seeds from the oven and pour them onto a cool pan.

To crack the seeds, use a large knife. with the wide side of the blade, press down on the seeds.

When my Dad, Ja came East from Colorado, he always looked forward to three things fishcakes, cod and of course lobster and clams. I had not yet discovered the recipe for Cod with Roasted Veggies so I prepared plain cod with herbs. Dad liked it "crispy" and when preparing the cod for him, I cooked it longer, often broiling it at the end, than I would otherwise do.

Serves 4

When buying the Cod, if you ask for "Hotel" or "Captain's cut" the fish should be of uniform thickness (but often more expensive). If the fish is uneven thickness, fold thin piece(s) under to make as equal in thickness as possible.

While Herbes de Provence work well Herbes de Provence pour Poisson are even better if you can find then (I discovered these in a market in Nice).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

On the top of a broiling pan that has been lightly coated with olive oil place

2 pounds fresh cod

Sprinkle the fish with

1 T Herbes de Provence

Bake at 400 degrees F, approximately 15 – 20 minutes*, depending on thickness of fish, until fish is opaque and flakes easily with fork. Note: Bittman advises cooking less “Roast cod for 8 – 12 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet (cod begins to “gape” – its sections separate – when it is done, is opaque throughout, and will offer no resistance to a thin-bladed knife; avoid overcooking)."

*CHECK AFTER 10 minutes to see how done the fish looks (see criteria above).

Remove fish from oven and place fish on warm platter to serve.

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When we walked into Christopher's Brooklyn loft two weekends ago, I was blown away by the six bigs pots of basil he had growing on his plant shelf. His watering system which had been down for extensive repairs was up and running again. I had just purchased some pots of herbs (mint, rosemary, thyme, sage) from Verrill Farms and had I know Christopher's watering system was working again, I would have brought some herbs to Brooklyn. When I mentioned this Christopher responded he much preferred to grow things from seeds. (OK Mom, take note; you live in the country, why aren't you doing seeds? If my purchased herbs do not last the winter, seeds next spring.)

Mom's Cop-out Garden:

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But more about the watering system. As we were sitting having a glass of wine, at exactly 8 pm I heard running water behind me. I turned to face the plant shelf and saw streams of water being delivered to the center of each pot. The water goes into the pots and any excess lands in the tray below the pots where it is directed to the basin on the shelf below. This water, when the next watering time comes, is then pumped up and delivered through the tubing with strategic holes directly above the plants. Pretty slick. I need to figure out an arrangement like this for when we leave my herbs to go to the boat.

This recipe is adapted from The Cuisines of Mexico whose author Diana Kennedy writes: "Hardly anyone would disagree that the margaritas at Carlos Jacott's El Parador are the lustiest in New York. He has given me the following recipe for his margaritas...." In 1990 (The New York Times reports) El Parador’s owner and maître d’hôtel, Carlos Jacott, a reportedly larger-than-life figure sold the restaurant to Manuel Alejandro, a Spaniard, whose son, Jose, known as Alex, is both the executive chef (he graduated from the French Culinary Institute) and Mr. Jacott’s more reserved replacement in the dining room on 325 E 34th Street. The restaurant still gets excellent reviews for its food and still has an extensive tequila menu.

This recipe is for 1 serving. However, when I make margaritas, depending on the number of people to be served, I make up to 4 servings at a time.

Chill a large cocktail glass[es] well [I do not have the space to store occasionally used "margarita glasses" so I use large wine glasses, usually not chilled]. Rub the rim with a

slice of lime

Put

a little salt, either ordinary table salt or finely ground rock salt [I use sea salt or Kosher salt]

on a small plate. Press the rim of the glass into it, giving it a turn to make sure the rim is ringed with salt. [I then fill the glass with crushed ice.]

In a cocktail shaker combine:
1 1/2 ounces white tequila [I use Jose Cuervo Especial Tequila Oro]
1/2 ounce Triple Sec
1 ounce fresh lime juice
A few cubes ice, crushed

Cover and shake together well. Pour the mixture through a strainer into the prepared glass[es].

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TAGS: mexican food

In January 2009, Ed and I spent a week on Kauai. We spent two excellent evenings at the Plantation Gardens Restaurant (the food was that good and the garden - antique decor setting delightful). My favorite dish was "Pan Seared Local Fish, Arugula, Local Mango, Papaya, Grilled Bread, Cherry Tomatoes, Avocado-Cilantro Mousse and Lilikoi Cider Vinaigrette". While I have not yet deciphered the Avocado-Cilantro Mousse (probably involves a little cream but stay tuned) and do not have a ready source of Lilikoi cider Vinegar I used several of the recipe ideas while preparing fish during the summer of 2009.

4 servings

Marinate

~1 ½ pounds wild salmon fillet, preferably skinless
in
3 T lime juice, mixed with
2 t cumin

for 1-2 hours, “basting” occasionally.

n a medium sized bowl combine

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced in small wedges
1 mango, peeled, pitted and sliced in small wedges
~20 cherry tomatoes, different colors if possible (optional - in season)
2 T olive oil
2 T fresh lime juice
1 t ground cumin
¼ c fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix well.

If the salmon is not skinless, place on a piece of aluminum foil brushed with a thin coating of olive oil. Over a medium hot fire, grill the salmon until it is is opaque throughout about 6 minutes on a side for the salmon (or 12 minutes on one side if cooking on aluminum foil), depending on thickness. While salmon is cooking, on a serving platter or individual plates place a bed of

Arugula (small "baby" arugula is best)

When fish is cooked, remove from grill (if the fish is not skinless, remove from aluminum foil leaving cooked skin on the foil) and place on platter on top of the arugula or divide and place on individual plates on top of the arugula. Top with avocado-mango mixture.

VARIATION #1

Use 1 c Trader Joe's Corn Salsa instead of the cherry tomatoes.

VARIATION #2

Use Ja's Cod instead of the salmon; omit the Herbs de Provence and sprinkle top of fish before cooking with 1 T ground cumin.

(Arugula bed is missing in the following photos.)

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Fish with mango and corn salsa:

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TAGS: mexican food

Alexandra and Christopher served Roasted Pork Loin with Gewürztraminer-Apricot Compote with Vegetable Barley and Three-Chocolate Hazelnut Tart for my birthday in 2006. All three recipes are from Wildwood a wonderful cookbook focusing on Pacific Northwest cuisine which Alexandra gave me for Christmas 2005. The cake was delicious and most certainly a labor of love.

The author writes in the introduction to the recipe: "I have used hazelnuts often in this book, but no selection of hazelnut recipes would be complete without some calling for chocolate. This decadent treat blends not one, but three different chocolate: milk, bittersweet and white."

Mahe the pastry: In a food processor combine:

1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking soda

Pluse 4 times to blend.

Add

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add

2 T plus 2 t ice water

Pulse until the dough comes together. Remove the dough from the processor and form into a 6-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

On parchment paper or waxed paper, roll out the dough into a 14-inch round. Dust the surface of the dough with the cocoa. Spray a 12-inch false-bottom tart pan with vegetable oil cooking spray. Fit the dough into the pan, paper side up. Peel off the paper and press the dough carefully into the pan up to the top of the sides. Referigerate for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut a piece of aluminum foil large enough to cover the tart pan and spray it with vegetable oil cooking spray. Place the foil on the tart pan, sprayed-side down, fitting over the dough and tucked down around the pastry. Weigh the foil down with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the dough comes out clean. Remove the tart crust from the oven, leaving the oven on, and let cool for 20 minutes.

Make the filling: In a blender or food processor combine:

4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups corn syrup
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 t salt

Blend until smooth. Set aside.

Over the crust, evenly sprinkle:

1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted and skinned*
1/2 cup chopped white chocolate (3 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped milk chocolate (3 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate (3 ounces)

Pour the egg mixture over the nuts and chocolates. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the filling is slightly puffed and set. Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove the tart from the pan and place on a serving pate. Cut into wedges and serve.

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*TOASTING HAZELNUTS

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the nuts on a large cookie sheet/jellyroll pan, spreading them out so they don't touch. Toast in the oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned, occasionally shaking the pan so the nuts toast evenly.

Remove the nuts from the oven an wrap them in dishtowel to steam and cool them. Once they have cooled a bit, roll the hazelnuts around in the towel to remove the skins. Transfer the hazelnuts to a colander with medium holes and roll them around with your hands to knock off the remainder of the skins. As the hazelnuts are skinned, remove from the colander.

Alexandra's salad dressing of choice. This is rought bases on "Our Favorite Vinaigrette" recipe found in the (original) Silver Palate Cookbook and recommended for the Rice and Vegetable Salad. I often make it without the herbs or salt, with additional mustard and almost equal parts of oil and vinegar - see bracketed notes.

[Wisk together [or combine in bottle and shake well]:

1 T prepared Dijon-style mustard [I use Grey Poupon and increase to 2-3 T]
4 T red wine vinegar [I use tarragon vinegar and increase to 6 to 8 T]
1 t granulated sugar
1/2 t salt [I omit]
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
Minced parsley and/or snipped fresh chives, to taste [I usually omit, dressing keeps longer (refrigerated) without fresh herbs]
1/2 c olive oil

Mixed Greens with Mustard Dressing:

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When I buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts at the market they are often larger than ideal for a single serving and contain loose pieces of meat that make grilling difficult. I cut off these loose pieces or "tenders" and freeze to use among other things in the recipes below. These recipes are best when the chicken is sliced very thin. This can be easily accomplished if the chicken is frozen and then thawed just enough to allow for slicing.

Unlike many veal/chicken Marsala recipes, this version contains no cream.

4 servings

Thinly slice

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or "tenders"

Dredge the slices in

1/3 cup flour seasoned with fresh ground pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet heat

2 T oilve oil, then add

2 cups mushrooms (I usually use crimini, shitake," baby bella" or a combination), thinly sliced

Cook until mushrooms are soft, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside in a small container.

Add enough additional olive oil to thinly coat the bottom surface of the skillet then add the flour dredged chicken and cook, turning once, until both sides are browned. Then add

1/2 c Marsala wine

Simmer for approximately two minutes until the liquid is reduced slightly. Then return the mushrooms to the pan and add

1 T fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 T chopped parsley that has been previously frozen)

Stir and simmer a minute or two before serving.

I serve this (and Chicken Lemon) with Trader Joe's Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta

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VARIATION #1 :
Chicken Lemon

Use 1/2 cup of lemon juice instead of the Marsalla
Add zest from one lemon with the mushrooms

:

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Fried zucchini in our house used to mean deep fried zucchini, similar to the fried zucchini Ed and I first had at Galena Street in Aspen many years ago. It became a mid summer treat when zucchini overflowed our garden. Last fall Ed and I had a delicious variation at Evoo in Cambridge which I tired to reverse engineer as closely as possible (photo above). Both recipes follow.

FRIED ZUCCHINI

I usually serve this as an appetizer as it is best when it is cooked in small batches and eaten immediately. Depending on the number of people I am serving, Ed or I will cook several batches before , serving each batch as soon as it is cooked, before moving on to the main course. I use fairly small squash for this (~8 inches long x 2" diameter); the diameter is the critical dimension as the green skin helps keep the squash crisp while cooking. While I am sure this is "more properly done" using a egg batter as well as flour, I like this version.

Cut

1 small to medium zucchini squash/per person
into 3 to 4 inch lengths by 1/8 inch square.

Place all of the cut squash in a bowl and toss with

2 t salt per squash

Let stand for an hour; the salt will suck some of the moisture out of the squash.

Heat

Canola oil (amount per fryer instructions) in a deep fryer until it reaches 350 degrees.

Over the years I have used a "Fry Baby" (plastic cover got left on when I plugged in the Fry Baby, melted into the stored oil and that was the end of the Fry baby), Tech Grill frying well (works well but requires a lot of oil and makes cooking on the other half of the grill dicey) and a pot with a deep fryer basket over a single outdoor gas burner (current preferred choice; keeps the cooking out of the kitchen and not a lot of oil required). Of course, given a good exhaust fan, this can also be done on an indoor range.

While the oil is heating. Rinse the squash throughly to remove most of the salt and then dry well with clean dish towels.

For each squash prepared, in a small brown paper bag place:

1/4 c flour
1/2 t Italian Herbs

Shake well then add a handful of the dried squash to the bag and shake again. Remove squash from the bag using a mesh spoon so that excess flour is left in the bag, place in the fryer basket and place basket in the hot oil. Cook until the squash is nicely browned then remove from oil, shaking basket to eliminate excess oil, place on paper towels and serve immediately.

PAN FRIED ZUCCHINI WITH SAGE

This is my current favorite, ever since I had a similar version at Evoo last fall. The sage is NOT optional, it really makes the dish. This is good served as a plated hors d'oeuvre or as a vegetable accompanying a main course.

Serves 4, scale accordingly.

Slice

2 medium or 4 small zucchini squash into coins ~ 1/4 inch thick

Place the cut squash in a bowl and toss with

1 T salt

Let stand for an hour; the salt will suck some of the moisture out of the squash. Rinse the squash throughly to remove most of the salt and then dry well with clean dish towels.

Dip the squash sequentially in

1/3 c milk

1/3 c flour

1 egg, well beaten (Eggbeaters also work, start with 1/4 c)

1/3 c panko (I use the Whole Foods spinach-chive and or lemon-herb)

Add more ingredients to any of the dipping dishes if necessary.

Coat the bottom of a large skillet with

Olive oil and heat until hot.

Gently place the squash in the oil and cook until bottom surface is well browned, carefully turn squash and add a handful of sage leaves. Cook until the sage leaves are crisp but not burned and the other side of the squash is also browned and squash is tender when feels tender when a fork is inserted in the center.

Serve garnished with fresh sage.

VARIATION:

Use greeen tomatoes or red tomatoes instead of squash (pan fried version only.)