My Friend, the Walnut

Monday night, I had two pounds of walnuts and a hammer. Blame it on latent OCD, but to me there's little more satisfying than tapping a fracture into a walnut husk and prying out an entire nutmeat intact. What emerges is an odd and prehistoric orb, containing enough protein and fat calories to sustain our nomadic ancestors, helping to make civilization possible. Now, smash it!

This fresh, walnuts taste sweet and clean, without a hint of the bitterness they'll eventually acquire. One of my favorite ways to showcase them is in this torte- short, rich, and deeply flavored. "Just a sliver" is very satisfying... trust me! If you enjoy a piece with your breakfast coffee, you'll feel full until your b.l.t. and soda at noon.

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Walnut Torte adapted from The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

Mountain Bakers: add a splash more rum, a pinch less baking powder, and raise the oven temperature to 375 degree. Shorten baking time to 25 minutes.

2 c shelled walnuts, toasted for 8 minutes (or until fragrant) at 350 degrees

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup flour

2/3 c sugar

7 tbl butter, room temp.

1 lg egg, room temp.

2 tbl rum (or Nocino, if you're lucky!)

grated zest of one orange

powdered sugar or cocoa powder for sprinkling on finished cake

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour an 8" round cake pan, or a 9" pan for a crunchy, squat, almost cookie-like cake that you shave pieces off throughout the week (this is how I like it).

Sift the flour with the b.powder and salt. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine the toasted and cooled walnuts with 1 tbl sugar and pulse until ground fine, but not a powder (or chop very fine with the sugar by hand). Remove from bowl and set aside.

Into the processor (or mixing bowl),  combine butter with the remaining sugar and process until creamy. Add the egg, rum, and orange zest and process briefly until ingredients are combined. Remove to a mixing bowl, add ground walnuts, and stir to combine. Add dry ingredients and stir just to combine (the batter will be dense).

Pour batter into baking pan, level with spatula, and bake 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out dry.

Cool, then sprinkle with powdered sugar or cocoa powder. The flavor of the cake will improve as it sits and will keep at at room temperature for several days.

Comments

[Anita]

I love the image of you smashing walnuts with a hammer! The torte sounds very fall and very delicious!

[Ivonne]

How did you know that I have always wanted to make this???

I can only imagine how delicious it tasted.

[Patty]

Want to make that when you come over? Just joking and can't wait to see you.

[Regina]

We just got back from our trip to Wisconsin and did I ever have some catching up to do! Those pumpkin pancakes sound really delicious! Erve bannana or blueberry pancakes and people may chagrin a bit, but a pumpkin pancake. Oh my! A pumpkin pancake will turn heads clear around! I also began your story "My Friend, The Walnut". It sounds like a good read, and I hate to be such a stickler and all, but you may want to change that picture. Those are not walnuts. They are actually hickory nuts. Most people will not know the difference, but I do. If you don't want to change the picture that is quite all right, I can read all about the walnut recipe, and just say "hickory" whenever I come to "wal" and the recipe will still be the same. I hope the autumn has been as good to you as it has for me and my family. Enjoy the season.

[Mitzy]

walnuts with Hagann Daaz chocolate ice cream: delicious!

[coffeepot]

I have a bunch I need to hull out of the black walnuts green covering.

Man do they ever mess up your hands if you don't wear gloves.

THis sounds like something I would love to try with them.

[rachel]

That sounds fabulous!

[TBomb]

My NEW BF let me take a peek at his mothers recipes ,Said his favorite was a "Walnut torte " 3 layers with a whiskey icing . He said it was a cake his Mom made for him .I really want to make this for him However the recipe calls for No Flour And lots of seperated eggs ,Small amounts of various spices and some coffee grinds ??? Am I missing something ?? How is this supposed to make a batter for a 3 layer cake ????