Pawaru-Grahmata

№ 35VIII. nodaļa

Sustrenu karaša

Redcurrant and almond torte

  • Serves 8–10
  • about 1¾ hours, plus cooling
  • Melnraksts · vēl nav izmēģināts

1796Sustrenu karrascha.

Modernizētslpp. 337–338 · PDF 351–352
8 porcijas

The book gives 1 mārciņa each of sweet and bitter almonds, 18 eggs and the zest of 2 lemons, which converts to about 420 g of each almond and 18 eggs; the currants and sugar are to taste. We've used a quarter of the eggs and of the total weight of almonds, all of them sweet, with a little bitter almond extract in place of the bitter almonds (see Notes).

Method

6 soļi
  1. Put the currants and 150 g sugar in a pan and cook gently for 8–10 minutes, until the syrup is thick and the berries are soft but mostly whole. Leave to cool completely.
  2. Heat the oven to 170 °C (150 °C fan). Butter a 24 cm springform tin, line the base with paper and dust the sides with breadcrumbs.
  3. Beat the yolks with the almonds, almond extract and lemon zest for 3–4 minutes, to a thick paste.
  4. Stir in the cooled currants and their syrup. Taste, and add caster sugar until it is sweet enough.
  5. Whisk the whites until stiff and fold them in last.
  6. Pour into the tin and bake for 45–55 minutes, until set and golden; a skewer should come out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. Leave in the tin for 15 minutes before releasing it. Serve cool.

Notes

What the book says vs. what we added

the book mixes 1 mārciņa of sweet and as much bitter almonds, peeled and finely pounded, the grated zest of 2 lemons, 18 yolks and as many currants as you like. Preserved currants are first warmed until soft; fresh ones are boiled with sugar to a thick syrup "as if to preserve them" and cooled. The currants go in first, then you taste for sugar, and the 18 whites beaten stiff go in last. If you don't trust it to bake in a mould, make a decorated pastry case and bake it in a tart pan. The amounts of currants and sugar, the oven temperature and the times are ours.

Bitter almonds

raw bitter almonds contain amygdalin, which releases cyanide in the body. A handful can make a child seriously ill, and 420 g in one cake would be dangerous. Recipes of the time usually used only a few bitter almonds for flavour, so the equal weight may be a misprint. Use natural bitter almond extract, which is made without the cyanide, or a spoonful of amaretto. Don't use apricot kernels as a substitute; they carry the same risk.

Currants

the book explains sustrenes as Jāņa ogas, currants, without saying which kind; in some Latvian dialects sustrenes are blackcurrants. We use redcurrants; blackcurrants give a darker, more strongly flavoured cake. To use redcurrant preserves instead, warm 300 g until soft and leave to cool.

Pastry case

for the book's alternative, blind-bake a 24 cm shortcrust case (see 08-029) and bake the filling in it for 40–45 minutes.

Flourless

the cake holds together with almonds and eggs alone, so it is naturally gluten-free if you leave out the breadcrumbs for the tin.

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