My friend Janet wrote to ask how the Boterkoek had gone over with local pie lovers. I reported that it had done well indeed. I made several for customers and an “extra” one for sharing samples with friends. Some tasters liken it to shortbread or marzipan, but I really think it’s a unique taste and texture among desserts.
One Boterkoek went to a women’s group meeting; one of the members is a holocaust survivor who had spent part of her childhood in Amsterdam and has a fondness for all things Dutch. She liked the Boterkoek, although it wasn’t the same as the one in her memories.
The range of recipes for what counts as Boterkoek was something that struck me in my internet research on the topic.
I had a recipe in my file, and I asked my friend Janet, a second-generation Dutch-Canadian, to review its authenticity. She stated that she thought of Boterkoek consisting of only flour, sugar, and butter, with a bit of almond extract.
Jan showed the recipe to her mother, who noted that even with the egg and baking powder in my recipe, it likely was “someone’s tradition”, even if it wasn’t Boterkoek exactly like she made it.
In research online, I found more varied and wide-ranging ingredients. Some cooks use vanilla, orange juice or zest, lemon juice or zest, cake flour, brown sugar, 3 eggs (!), milk, or almond paste. The variety of ingredients shows the range of creativity and ingenuity of bakers in different times and places, perhaps working with what they have on hand or pushing the boundaries of a recipe through experimentation.
Here is the recipe I like to use.
Boterkoek
Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter (really, it needs to be butter)
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 egg, beaten; set aside 1 Tablespoon for finishing the surface
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
sliced almonds, optional but certainly a nice touch.
Method:
1. In a bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and almond extract.
2. Mix in the beaten egg, being sure to reserve 1 Tablespoon.
3. Mix the flour and baking powder together. Then add them to the other ingredients.
4. Gather the dough together and kneed lightly 3 or 4 times.
5. Spread the dough in a greased 9 inch pie pan. Wet the back of a spoon and use it to spread the dough evenly. Some bakers like to score the top of the dough with a knife or fork to create a diamond pattern.
6. Brush the reserved egg over the surface of the dough.
7. Sprinkle the surface with sliced almonds.
8. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. It will be firm to the touch but still soft on the inside.
This is a delicious, dense dessert that is best served in thin slices and enjoyed by many.
