Revisiting the Classic Linzer Tart Cookie

There are some desserts that are classic for a reason, and the mini-Linzer Tart is one of them. These sweet and tart beauties are one of the reasons why we love baking. And while they are certainly beautiful, they are not complicated to make. We hope you enjoy this delectable recipe.

1 cup Unsalted margarine
1 cup Sugar
2 Egg yolks
2 tbsp Lemon Zest
1 and 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp All-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hazelnut flour (finely ground hazelnuts)
1 tsp Baking powder
2 tsp Cinnamon, ground
1/4 tsp Cloves, ground
1/4 tsp Nutmeg, ground
1/4 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Raspberry or apricot preserves
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Cream the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and lemon zest and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients except for the raspberry preserves and powdered sugar. Add the dry ingredients all at once to the wet mixture and mix until just combined; do not overmix. Wrap cookie dough in plastic and refrigerator until very firm (at least 4 hours or even overnight).

Divide the dough in half, knead briefly on a floured board, and roll both dough pieces out to the thickness of 1/3 inch. Using a cookie cutter, shape one set of dough into rounds and flatten them with the palm of your hand. Shape the second set of dough to the same size, but add an additional round hollow in the center of the dough piece, so that the preserves can peek through.

Chill dough again for approximately 10-30 minutes. Dab the dough rounds with a small amount of preserves, and cover lightly with the second dough piece.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-18 minutes or until just crisp and lightly browned. For a softer cookie, bake for a shorter period of time and do not allow cookie to brown.

After baking, dust cookies lightly with powdered sugar. Add a dab more preserves to the middle of the cookie, if desired.

The Art and Science of Grilled Flatbreads!

Perfect for summer or anytime of the year, flatbreads grilled outdoors are a great way to impress friends at your next barbecue!

The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts has always been a huge fan of flatbreads. In fact, an entire morning of the Culinary Arts Professional program is dedicated each semester to flatbread, and each student is encouraged to be creative with the toppings and flavorings of his or her tray. Tasting everyone’s different interpretations is always an incredible culinary adventure.

Read the full article, with plenty of tips, here. Also, enjoy our amazing flatbread recipe!

Summer Courses in Cake Decoration

Photo above: Sugarpaste peony bouquet

SUGARPASTE FLOWERS WORKSHOP I - THE PEONY

This summer, CKCA is pleased to offer two amazing classes in cake decoration.

The first course is "Sugarpaste Flowers Workshop I - The Peony."
It will be offered on two consecutive Mondays, June 14th & 21st, from 6:30 - 10:30 pm.

The class is an introduction to the art of creating life-like flowers out of sugarpaste. In this two-day workshop, Chef Ruth Drennan will teach the class how to turn sugarpaste and luster dust in to a stunning bouquet of peonies and lilacs. Each student will create his or her own bouquet. Tuition for class includes a student kit that contains all of the tools we use in class. The cost of the class is $175 -- CALL TO REGISTER, 718.758.1339

A little about our chef instructor: Chef Ruth Drennan is an accomplished pastry chef and master cake decorator. She was one of the original stars of the Women's Entertainment Network reality TV show “Amazing Wedding Cakes”. Her work has been featured on CBS’s “As the World Turns,” and “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?,” and in all of the top wedding magazines. To see her stunning cakes, visit www.ruthdrennancakes.com.

MASTER CLASS IN CAKE DECORATING

The second course offering in cake decoration at CKCA this summer is the "Master Class in Cake Decoration," and it will be offered in both the morning and evening, to accommodate lots of schedules.

The dates are as follows:

MORNING: Mon - Fri, June 28th - July 2nd, 9 am - 12 pm

And

EVENING: Monday evenings, June 28th, July 5th, 12th, 26th, Aug 2nd, 7:30 - 10:30 pm



Master Class in Cake Decoration is appropriate for beginner to intermediate cake decorators. The price of the class includes a student tool kit.

If you are serious about learning how to make exquisite, professional looking cakes, this intensive hands-on class is the one you’ve been waiting for. Over the course of five weeks (or 5 consecutive days), we will teach you how to create cakes and decorate with fondant in order to create your very own stunning three-tiered masterpiece.

Topics covered include:

-How to ice a cake with rolled fondant
-Rolled fondant techniques including bands, bows, pearls, ropes,
swags, sponging, embossing, crimping and more.
-How to make pareve buttercream
-How to bake, ice, fill and assemble a 3-tiered cake
-How to slice cake layers evenly
-How to bake, fill, and build a three tiered cake.

The cost of the class is $375 -- CALL TO REGISTER -- 718.758.1339

Chef Michelle Doll is a sugar artist who is redefining the realm of cake decorating. Renowned for her distinctive style and elegant designs, Michelle has become one of the most sought after cake designers in New York. She has been featured on the Food Network and Style Network as well as in numerous magazines and radio. Check out her work at http://www.michelledollcakes.com

Summer Apple Berry Pie

In honor of our upcoming June 6th recreational course, Summer Pies and Tarts, with Lynn Kutner, we are sharing an amazingly delicious recipe for summery, sweet-tart apple berry pie.

Here's a little about the class:

With summer comes fresh fruit and with fresh fruit come fresh pies! Join pie maven Lynn Kutner and CKCA for a workshop on making fresh fruit pies and tarts. Menu for the morning to include blueberry pie, strawberry-rhubarb pie, free-form peach tarts, custard fruit tarts, chocolate cream tarts. We will make several types of crust in the process including classic pie crust, almond tart crust, and graham cracker crust. Go home with your very own pies and tarts and the knowledge that will enable you to make them all summer long.

The cost for the class is $70. CALL TO REGISTER, 718.758.1339.

And here's an incredible recipe for Summer Apple Berry Pie, sure to excite your tastebuds and bring applause to your table!

Apple Berry Pie Dough:

2 and 1/2 cup Pastry Flour
1 and 1/2 cup plus 4 tbsp Shortening
12 tbsp Cold water
2 tsp Salt
4 tbsp Sugar

Fresh Pie Filling:

3 cups peeled and sliced apples (Granny Smith, Winesap, Rome, Pink Lady, or Golden Delicious)
1 pint fresh blackberries or raspberries
2 tbsp butter or margarine
6 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp cold water
1 and 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
7 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp lemon juice
1 and 1/2 tsp butter or margarine

Add flour to mixing bowl. Rub or cut in shortening; for flakier dough, rub until shortening pieces are the size of peas. Dissolve salt and sugar in the water. Add the water to the flour mixture and mix only until water is absorbed. Shape the dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least four hours (this is what makes pie crust very flaky).

Roll out pie dough to approximately 1/4 of an inch and roll a bottom crust into a pie pan. Prick with a fork all over and cover with foil. Add weights (such as dry beans) and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Then remove the beans and return pie crust to the oven for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned.

Saute the apples over low to medium heat in the first listed amount of butter or margarine. Add sugar and berries as the apples cook. Mix the water and cornstarch together until smooth and add to the apple mixture. Boil briefly, until the liquid is thick. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Taste and correct seasoning if necessary. Stir gently and cool completely.

Fill the pie shells, cover with a second layer of pie crust, and cut a hole in the top for heat to escape. Brush the rim of the pie with egg wash to seal the two pie crusts, and bake at 425 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

Chef Michelle Doll to Teach Fondant Basics

We're welcoming a new instructor to CKCA to teach cake decoration!

Chef Michelle Doll is a sugar artist who is redefining the realm of cake decorating. Renowned for her distinctive style and elegant designs, Michelle has become one of the most sought after cake designers in New York. She has been featured on the Food Network and Style Network as well as in numerous magazines and radio. Check out her work at http://www.michelledollcakes.com

Chef Doll's first course will be Basics of Fondant Cake Decoration, which will occur on two consecutive Mondays, May 17th and 24th. For more information about CKCA Cake Decorating courses, visit http://www.kosherculinaryarts.com.

Pastry Chef Instructor Philippe Kaemmerle Joins CKCA Faculty

A seasoned pastry chef trained in France who has worked all over the world, Philippe Kaemmerle has been involved in the culinary arts since childhood. He joins CKCA this semester as a lead chef instructor, teaching the Professional Program in Baking & Pastry Arts.

Chef Kaemmerle comes with not only experience in the kitchen, but experience in classrooms and competition halls as well. He has been an instructor for 14 years at The Art Institute of New York, and has also taught at the French Culinary Institute and New York Technical College.

At the age of 15, Chef Kaemmerle began a rigorous training program in Pastry in Strasbourg, a large city in northeastern France near to the village where he grew up, Dambach-la-Ville, a 2000-person populace in the hills of the wine-making Alsace region. At 18, began working on staff at a two Michelin star restaurant also in Strasbourg.

He continued on to work in Sweden, Paris and St. Tropez, before coming to New York in 1986. He has had a distinguished pastry career in New York, having worked in gourmet restaurants such as Aquavit, the 21 Club and Windows on the World. Chef Kaemmerle has also been the recipient of numerous medals from many culinary competitions.

Chef Kaemmerle is intrigued by the burgeoning world of kosher food, and feels that there is a great opportunity for the kosher world to embrace classic French pastry. "There is not such a big concentration right now in kosher pastries, but this is going to get better and better as the education of the students improve," he said.

"It is a learning process and a wonderful challenge to work on the recipe substitutions necessary for kosher baking, but generally it is not very much and substitutions: margarine, rice milk, whipped topping... these all work well," said Chef Kaemmerle.

Chef Kaemmerle, who holds certificates in both regional and national French Pastry, as well in hospitality education, hopes to help CKCA students develop a love of international pastries, and to expose our students to the many kinds of opportunities available around the world for hard-working pastry chefs.

"A pastry chef needs to learn and know how to make all kinds of international pastries. It's a job that is loved, because people love to bake, but it is real work. For people who are willing to work hard, there are lots of opportunities around, not just in restaurants but in hotels, on cruises, and even in competitions. A pastry chef's career can be very rewarding, and the kosher market can only grow in this way."

Decadent Mother's Day Buttermilk Pancakes

CKCA is hosting an awesome Mother's Day Brunch class on Sunday, May 9th. Lynn Kuttner will be teaching, and moms and daughters/sons are invited! This class makes a great Mother's Day gift! Click here for more information and call Jesse to sign up at 718-758-1339. This class will fill up, so sign up asap.

Now, while Lynn's tasting menu and recipes will include a frittata and challah french toast, we recently posted a delectable pancake recipe on kosher.com to help them celebrate Mother's day. Click here for the article, the recipe is below.



Sour Cream Buttermilk Pecan Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
3 eggs, beaten
1 dash vanilla extract
1/8 cup butter for griddle
1 cup pecan halves
Maple syrup, for serving

1. Combine dry ingredients except for pecans, mix well and set aside.
2. Beat eggs and combine with the wet ingredients.
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients, mix only until incorporated.
4. Heat griddle to 375 degrees F, or moderately high heat, until a drop of water sizzles and disappears within two or three seconds.
5. Brush the griddle lightly with butter, and ladle out pancakes. Stud pancakes with pecans.
6. Flip only when bubbles have appeared on the top.
7. Serve with maple syrup or your favorite topping.