Bundner Nusstorte

We don't eat desert very often, but this one is very special to Karen and me. When we were in college in Boulder, Colorado many decades ago, we found a wonderful desert at a local bakery. It was an almond torte and the bakery said it was an Austrian desert. For some reason the name "bundernuss" stuck in our heads. We have asked every bakery we have visited since if they have heard of this desert, but to no avail. After searching the web, I found a recipe for Bündner Nusstorte, which is a traditional pastry from the Graubünden region of Switzerland. It didn't completely match what we remembered, so I modified it to remove the top crust, and add almonds and honey. Karen swears I nailed it. In any case, it's really easy to make and delicious.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, knead the crust ingredients into a dough. 

Lay down a sheet of parchment paper and lightly dust it with flour and roll the dough to fit in a square dish that's 1 1/2” deep. You should lightly dust the top of the dough with flour to prevent the dough from sticking.

Lay your dish upside down on the dough and flip over so you can peel off the parchment paper.

Trim the crust on the sides of the dish to create a half inch tall crust.

Dry caramelize the sugar for the filling by heating it under medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar melts and turns light yellow.

Add the cream and dissolve the sugar under heat, then mix in the honey and let it boil twice.

Add the nuts, then pour the mixture into the dish, spreading evenly. Use a spatula to level the crust with the height of the mixture.

Put the dish in the oven and bake for approximately 20- 30 minutes and when the crust turns golden brown. 

Let rest for 2 hours until it hardens. And then enjoy!