Caramel Walnut Torte Recipes

Steps:

• Let eggs stand at room temperature 30 minutes. In a microwave, heat cream on high for 20 seconds. Keep warm. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and syrup, stirring frequently. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Slowly pour cream into pan; continue stirring constantly (cream may spatter) until well blended. Gradually add butter, stirring until melted. Add vanilla and sea salt; stir until smooth. Cool., Unroll crust into a 9-in. tart pan; trim edges. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°. Line unpricked crust with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake on a lower oven rack until edges are golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake until bottom is golden brown, 3-5 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack., Reduce oven setting to 350°. Whisk eggs into caramel mixture; stir in walnuts. Add filling to crust. Bake until center is just set (mixture will jiggle), 20-25 minutes. Cool completely. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• Butter a baking sheet or line it with a Silpat (a French baking mat). Bring sugar and the water to a boil in a small, heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves; wash down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent crystals from forming. Continue cooking, without stirring, until caramel is dark amber, swirling pan to color evenly. Remove from heat.
• Immediately pour caramel onto prepared baking sheet. Let sit until hardened and completely cool; coarsely chop. Store in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to use, up to 1 day.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Between 2 sheets of wax paper roll out dough into a 14-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Transfer dough to a baking sheet and chill 10 minutes. Lift top sheet of wax paper from dough and gently replace on top (this will facilitate removal of paper later). Flip dough over, discarding wax paper now on top, and carefully invert dough into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Lightly press dough up side of rim, using pieces from overhang to patch any holes. Chill shell 30 minutes, or until firm.
• Line shell with foil, folding over edge to cover pastry entirely, and fill with pie weights or raw rice. Bake shell on a baking sheet in middle of oven 35 minutes and carefully remove foil and weights or rice. If bottom of crust still has patches of translucent undercooked dough, return shell to oven without foil and weights or rice and bake until pastry is completely cooked and golden, 3 to 5 minutes more. Cool shell in pan on a rack.
• Reduce temperature to 350°F.
• Coarsely chop nuts. In a 3-quart heavy saucepan melt butter with brown sugar and honey, stirring, and simmer 1 minute. Stir in nuts and cream. Simmer mixture 1 minute and pour into shell. Bake tart on baking sheet in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until filling is a few shades darker. Cool tart in pan on rack.
• Chop chocolate and in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Cool chocolate slightly and transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a #3 plain tip (slightly smaller than 1/8 inch). (Alternatively, transfer chocolate to a small heavy-duty sealable plastic bag. Squeeze chocolate into one corner of bag and with scissors cut a tiny slice off corner to form a small hole.) Pipe thin lines of chocolate over tart in a back and forth motion to form stripes. Tart may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.
• Serve caramel tart chilled or at room temperature with ice cream and tuiles.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Have ready two 9-inch tart pans with removable bottoms. Cut out two 12-inch parchment circles, and set aside. Lightly flour a clean work surface. Roll out one disk of pate sucree to a 12-inch circle with a 1/4-inch thickness. Roll dough onto rolling pin, and unroll over one of the tart pans. Press pastry into place, being careful not to stretch dough; use a paring knife to trim any overhanging dough. Repeat with remaining disk pate sucree and tart pan. Chill both pans for 30 minutes.
• Line pastry with parchment circles, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until pastry begins to take on color, about 25 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights; continue baking or until light golden brown all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Wrap in plastic; set aside until ready to use.
• Reduce oven to 325 degrees. Place butter, both sugars, honey, and heavy cream in a large saucepan set over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes. Stir in nuts and vanilla; remove pan from heat. Pour filling into reserved tart shells.
• Bake tarts on the center rack until the filling bubbles, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer tarts to a wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put the flour in a food processor with the butter and sugar, and mix until it forms fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and 1-2 tbsp cold water, and pulse to make a firm dough.
• Have ready a 24cm tart tin. Briefly knead the pastry on a lightly floured surface, then roll out to a round about 5cm larger than your tin. Lift onto the tin with the help of your rolling pin, then press into the corners using your finger. Do not trim the pastry. Fill the pastry case with a round of baking parchment and baking beans. Chill for 10 mins. Blindbake for 10 mins, remove the paper and beans, then bake for 5 mins more.
• To make the filling, put the sugar in a large pan with 3 tbsp cold water. Heat gently, stirring to dissolve the sugar. When the sugar is completely dissolved, increase heat and bubble until the syrup has turned a rich caramel colour. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until it has dissolved, then stir in the cream. Return to the heat and boil hard, stirring until the sauce is thick enough to leave a gap on the base of the pan when you draw your spoon across it. Stir in the walnuts.
• Fill the pastry case with the nut mixture, levelling it with a fork. Return to the oven for 8-10 mins until the filling is bubbling. Cool for 10 mins before removing carefully from the tin. Serve warm or cold.

Steps:

• FOR CRUST: Using electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, egg, lemon peel, and salt in large bowl to blend. Gradually add flour and beat until mixture holds together, adding water by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes. FOR FILLING: Stir sugar and 1/3 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, brushing down sides of pan occasionally, about 8 minutes. Turn off heat. Add cream and honey (mixture will bubble vigorously); stir over low heat to dissolve any caramel bits. Mix in walnuts. Cool to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9-inch diameter springform pan with nonstick spray. Divide dough into 3 pieces, 2 slightly larger than the third. Roll out 1 larger dough piece on lightly floured surface to 10-inch round. Transfer to prepared pan; press onto bottom and slightly up sides of pan. Divide smaller dough piece into 2 balls. Roll each ball into 14-inch-long rope. Coil each rope around bottom edge of pan, pressing against sides. Press coiled dough up sides of pan, forming 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Spoon filling into dough-lined pan (pan will not be completely filled). Roll out remaining dough piece on lightly floured work surface to 9 1/2-inch round. Place atop filling. Press dough edges together to seal and enclose filling. Brush top crust with egg yolk. Pierce top in several places to allow steam to escape. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. Cut around pan sides to loosen torte. Release pan sides. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.) Cut torte into wedges and serve.

Steps:

• TOPPING: Place brown sugar, margarine, and cream in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat just until margarine melts, stirring constantly.
• Pour over bottoms of three 8" or 9" round baking pans, & sprinkle with walnuts.
• CAKE: Place sugar and margarine in mixer bowl and cream for about 2 minutes.
• Add banana and vanilla, mix thoroughly.
• Add eggs, one at a time, mixing about 15 seconds between each addition on low speed.
• Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in small bowl.
• Add half of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix for about 30 seconds on low speed.
• Add buttermilk and remaining flour mixture. Gradually increase spead to high and beat about 30-45 seconds.
• Spread batter evenly over nut mixture in pans.
• BAKE: 350°F for 25 - 30 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool in pans about 3 minutes. Remove from pans by inverting on to wire racks. (This is very important, if you don't let them cool long enough, the topping runs off the cake, too cool, and it stays in the pan).
• FILLING: Combine sugar, flour and salt in medium saucepan.
• Gradually stir in milk.
• Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly.
• Beat the egg in a separate bowl.
• Stir 4 to 5 tablespoons of hot mixture into beaten egg, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing between each addition.
• Pour egg mixture into saucepan with remaining hot mixture. Cook until mixture is thick & bubbly, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and margarine. Cool slightly.
• Refrigerate 1 hour or more until cake is cool and ready to assemble.
• ASSEMBLE TORTE: (Save nicest looking layer for the top). Place one cake layer, nut side up on serving plate.
• Spread with half of filling. Arrange about half of banana slices over filling.
• Top with second layer, nut side up. Spread with remaining filling and banana slices.
• Top with remaining cake layer, nut side up.
• Top with whipped cream just before serving.
• Store in refrigerator.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Butter pan and fit a round of parchment paper in bottom. Butter parchment, then flour pan.
• Spread 1/2 stick butter thickly on bottom of a 12-inch heavy skillet and sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar evenly over butter. Arrange apples, cut sides down, over sugar and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium heat, turning apples occasionally, until sugar is caramelized and apples are tender and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Arrange apples, cut sides down, in concentric circles in bottom of cake pan, then pour over any caramel from skillet.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Pulse walnuts with remaining cup sugar in a food processor until finely ground.
• Beat remaining 1 1/2 sticks butter in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add walnut sugar and beat until just combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in extracts. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined (batter will be thick).
• Dollop batter over apples and spread evenly. Bake until torte just begins to pull away from side of pan and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool torte in pan on a rack 30 minutes. Put rack over torte, then invert torte onto rack.
• Melt apple jelly in a small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring. Brush apples generously with jelly, then cool torte completely, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.