A Winner of a Linzer

DEAR SOS: I purchased a linzer torte that was outstanding at my son’s grammar school bake sale. Do you happen to have a recipe for a raspberry linzer torte?

KAREN

DEAR KAREN: Do we have a recipe! And it’s a beauty. Serve it for Easter or any holiday season.

RASPBERRY LINZER TORTE

1 cup unblanched hazelnuts or almonds

1 1/4 cups sifted flour

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

2 hard-boiled egg yolks, mashed

2 raw egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (16-ounce) jar thick raspberry jam

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Grind nuts 1/3 at a time in blender until fine as coarse meal, or finely grate.

Combine flour and nuts in bowl. Add butter, hard-boiled egg yolks, raw egg yolks, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla, and mix with electric mixer on low speed or with hands until thoroughly blended. Cover and chill dough until it can be easily handled, about 2 hours.

Roll slightly more than 1/2 of dough between 2 pieces of wax paper into 10- or 11-inch round. Remove wax paper and fit dough into 9-inch tart pan, deep pie pan or layer cake pan.

Combine raspberry jam, lemon zest and juice, and spread in pie shell.

Roll out remaining dough between 2 sheets of wax paper. Remove wax paper and cut dough into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Crisscross strips on filling and press firmly to edges of shell.

Bake at 350 degrees until crust is lightly browned, 40 to 50 minutes. Jam will darken during baking. Before serving, spoon jam between lattice strips for color if desired.

The dough is a little tricky to work with. Roll it and shpae it quickly after removing it from the refrigerator. If it becomes difficult to roll, chill the dough again.

8 servings. Each serving:

443 calories; 127 mg sodium; 131 mg cholesterol; 24 grams fat; 53 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 1.48 grams fiber.

How to Beet Boiled Eggs

DEAR SOS: How can I make pink pickled eggs like the ones served at Philippe’s in Los Angeles? My guess is that beet juice has something to do with it.

JUDY

DEAR JUDY: Good guess. Beet juice adds a pleasing pink color to the pickled eggs. They’re great to take to picnics, serve at an informal lunch with cold cuts and beer, or to recycle leftover Easter eggs.

PINK PICKLED EGGS

6 hard-boiled eggs

3/4 cup beet juice from canned or cooked beets

1/2 cup dry red wine

3/4 cup vinegar

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon whole allspice

3/4 teaspoon salt

Dash black pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

Place eggs in quart jar.

Combine beet juice, wine, vinegar, bay leaf, allspice, salt, pepper and garlic in saucepan, and bring just to simmer over medium heat. Do not allow to boil. Pour hot liquid over eggs. Cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight or longer if desired.

6 eggs. Each egg:

101 calories; 413 mg sodium; 212 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein.