Pistachio Torte Recipe 415

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat margarine until smooth. Add flour and sugar; blend until crumbly. Stir in walnuts. , Press onto the bottom of a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until set. Cool. , In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over the crust. In another bowl, combine milk and pudding mixes; beat on low speed for 2 minutes. , Spread over first layer. Carefully spread whipped topping over second layer. Sprinkle with walnuts. Chill at least 1 hour.

Steps:

• For the crust, mix together the flour, butter and nuts.
• Press in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.
• Bake at 325 for 15 minutes.
• Let cool.
• Mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1 cup cool whip.
• Spread on top of crust.
• Mix well the pudding and milk.
• Pour on top of cream cheese mixture and let set.
• Top with remaining cool whip.
• May top with chopped nuts if desired.

Steps:

• Beat butter and brown sugar; add flour and nuts. Press dough into buttered 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes or until top browns. Cool. Smooth together cream cheese, sugar and 2 cups of Cool Whip. Pour an even layer over crust. Mix the milk and pudding mix together until thickened. Pour over the cream cheese layer. Spread your remaining Cool Whip over the top and refrigerate.

Steps:

• Make cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan; line bottom with parchment or waxed paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, melt butter and chocolate, stirring frequently, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove bowl from pan. Whisk in sugar and vanilla, then eggs, buttermilk, and pistachios. Fold in flour mixture just until combined.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 60 to 70 minutes. Let cool in pan 5 minutes; run a knife around edge, and invert onto a wire rack. Remove paper, and let cool completely, about 3 hours. (To store, wrap in plastic, and keep at room temperature, up to 3 days).
• Make ganache: In a small saucepan, bring cream to a simmer; remove from heat. Add chocolate, and let stand 5 minutes; whisk until smooth. Let cool until mixture falls back in ribbons when lifted with a spoon, 2 to 6 minutes.
• Set cake on a serving platter; tuck strips of parchment paper under edge of cake to prevent ganache from dripping on platter. Pour ganache onto center of cake; using a table knife, spread evenly over the top and down the sides. Let set, about 30 minutes. Remove paper from under cake; sprinkle top with pistachios.

Steps:

• Make torte: Preheat oven to 375°F and butter a 9-inch springform pan. Line bottom of pan with a round of wax paper and butter paper.
• In a food process or blender finely grind pistachios with 3/4 cup of sugar. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in flour, butter, zest, vanilla, and almond extract. In another bowl with an electric mixer, beat whites with salt until they barely hold soft peaks and gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar until meringue just holds stiff peaks. Stir one third of meringue into pistachio mixture to lighten and fold in remaining meringue gently but thoroughly. Pour batter into pan.
• Bake torte in middle of oven 40 minutes, or until it pulls away from side of pan and top is golden brown. Cool torte in pan on rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pan and remove side. Invert torte onto rack and remove bottom of pan. Carefully peel off wax paper and cool torte completely. Torte may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and kept wrapped well in plastic wrap in an airtight container at room temperature (I have found it also freezes well).
• Make glaze: in small bowl whisk together the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and cardamom until smooth. Drizzle over top of torte and let drip down the side.
• Garnish top with chopped pistachios and let glaze set. Recipe suggests serving with ice cream, but I never have.