The trick with this dessert is to know your oven. The dessert is supposed to be baked for ten minutes at 450 degrees F and then the temperature is lowered to 400 degrees F for another half an hour or so. In the first round when I did this, my oven didn't lower the temperature quick enough. The outside was almost burnt and the inside was a little runny. I found that adjusting the starting temperature to 440 degrees F and then lowering it to 400 degrees worked well. Since the temperature was lowered, I kept it in for an extra ten minutes. However, since it was in for longer, I ended up tenting it with aluminum foil for the last twenty to protect the cranberries from becoming hard like glass!
This is one of those desserts that once you try it, it is hard to make just one. I like it because it is rich and flavorful without being very dense. It is creamier than cheesecake, but has that rich explosion when it hits your palette. When it is paired with the apples and the crust, the tastes and textures meld in an autumnal decadence. It was a such a huge success, that I ended up making three of them again this year. One went for Christmas Eve dinner, one for Christmas dinner, and another one just for me and Brad.
The original recipe from Instyle can be found at this link: http://www.instyle.com/instyle/package/holidaytrends/photos/0,,20538174_20542725_21077895,00.html
Bavarian Cranberry Apple Torte
Crust Ingredients:
•1 cup unsalted butter
•2/3 cup sugar
•1/2 tsp vanilla extract
•2 cups all-purpose flour
•1/2 cup raspberry jam
Crust Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla. Blend in flour to form a ball.
3. Press dough onto bottom and about 2 inches up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. I used a special Sara-created technique for this. First I lined the sides of the springform.
Then I added the bottom, making sure to use ALL of the dough and assuring that there was a great seal between the sides and bottom.
To create a finishing touch, I took a small paring knife and gently cut a smooth rim around the top edge of the crust. I let the little pieces of dough fall to the bottom. Then I reinforced thinner patches of crust with the smaller pieces.
This is what the final crust looked like:
4. Spread with a thin layer of raspberry jam.
5. Refrigerate crust while preparing filling.
Filling Ingredients:
•16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
•1/2 cup sugar
•2 eggs
•1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling Directions:
1. Combine cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Make sure that the cream cheese is soft enough to blend, otherwise you'll end up with little extra clumps.
2. Pour over jam-covered crust.
Topping Ingredients:
•3 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced. I found that Gala apples worked best.
•1/2 cup dried cranberries
•1/3 cup sugar
•1/2 tsp cinnamon
•1/2 cup sliced almonds
Topping Directions:
1. Toss apples and cranberries with sugar and cinnamon.
2. Spoon apples over cream cheese layer and sprinkle with almonds (I did creatively place a few apples for an artistic look). The picture below is just before the almonds were added.
Final Steps:
1. Bake torte at 440°F for 10 minutes; with torte still in oven, lower heat to 400°F and bake for 40 additional minutes. Stop and tent with aluminum foil if needed. (original recipe called for 450 degrees). I would also put a pan in underneath it because the springform will link.
2. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour to firm up filling.
3. Use a thin knife to carefully loosen torte from sides of pan and remove. Transfer to a serving plate and enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment