Kitchen Conundrum

Almond Biscotti, A Classic Recipe

by

Biscotti
No cookie plate would be complete without the addition of Biscotti. I don’t know where the original recipe originated but I’ve been making this basic almond biscotti recipe for nearly 20 years and they are a staple in my holiday cookie baking arsenal.  It’s been tweaked quite a bit over the years and it is easily adaptable to add other flavors and ingredients like dried cranberries or other nuts, such as pistachios or pecans/walnuts.

One thing is for sure, they are crunchy and delicious and they are perfect for dipping in your morning coffee or afternoon tea.  They also make terrific gifts although you might not want to share!

Almond Biscotti
 
Print
Author:
Recipe type: Cookie
Ingredients
  • 8 oz. Almonds (or other nuts)
  • 5 eggs
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 4 oz. butter (melted)
  • 1½ tsp. lemon zest
  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tbs. baking powder
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 6 oz. Dark chocolate
  • 1 tbs. vegetable oil
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
  3. Divide the nuts into two batches. Grind the first batch fine and the second batch coarsely. Set aside.
  4. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until frothy and stir in the melted butter and lemon zest. Set aside.
  5. In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
  6. Add the ground nuts to the flour mixture and stir to combine.
  7. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until blended together to form a dough.
  8. Shape the dough into two large logs and bake on the lined baking sheets for 25 minutes.
  9. Remove from the oven and let cool until you can safely handle the logs- about 10 minutes.
  10. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F.
  11. Slice each log into pieces about ½" thick. Lay out the pieces on each baking sheet.
  12. Bake until dry, and lightly browned, another 8-10 minutes. Cool biscotti on a rack.
  13. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler with the oil stirring to combine.
  14. Dip one end of the biscotti into the melted chocolate and lie it out on a sheet of parchment to harden.
  15. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks or freeze for several months.
Notes
This recipe can easily be adapted for other flavors.

Substitute the lemon zest with orange zest.
Add dried fruits (1/4-1/2 cup) such as dried cranberries (craisins), dried cherries, dried apricots (chopped), candied orange or lemon peel.
Use other nuts such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios (solely or as a combination of nuts.)
Add pine nuts (2 oz.)

Biscotti-2

 

Chewy Molasses Cookies

by

Easy Molasses CookiesChristmas came early for me this year in the form of a brand new range. Yay! Finally! After surviving two years of Thanksgiving dinners saved by the Wolfgang Puck Convection Oven and a series of rather scary explosions every time the oven tried to preheat (the oven door is not supposed to blow open, right?) I finally said “I’m done!” and I went online to seriously research a new oven.

I had dreams of upgrading to a Wolf or a Viking 36″ range with 6 burners and the grill/griddle. (I’d have loved the 48″ range too, but my kitchen is just too small for that.) I had these dreams for a long time. But after talking to several people who have one of those high end ranges, I decided they just didn’t have all the features I wanted and that I could get so much more for half the price. I opted to be practical. After all, two of the three kids are getting braces this year and we have a family trip to Italy planned, not to mention the renovations that I have planned.  So, I read all of the reviews for nearly every stove out there over the course of the holiday weekend and on the Sunday after Black Friday I made my purchase.  It’s a Samsung 30″ slide in range with a convection oven. It has all the bells and whistles, I could honestly jump for joy I am so happy.  

Here it is (a blurry iPhone photo- never mind the ugly floor- it’s going the way of my old range soon too!)

The Stove

It arrived on Saturday and I’ve been baking every day since.

So I thought we’d continue the celebration with a few of my favorite cookie recipes this week that are perfect to keep or to share.

Start the holiday cookie making with these incredibly easy but addicting Chewy Molasses Cookies recipe. Soft and chewy in the middle with a crispy edge, they melt in your mouth!Their cinnamon, clove and ginger goodness will make you feel warm all over! Mix up a double batch because they will go quick.

Chewy Molasses Cookies
 
Print
Author:
Recipe type: Cookie
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup Butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • ½ cup white sugar
Method
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and egg until smooth.
  2. Add the molasses. Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
  5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and remove the dough from the fridge.
  7. If the dough seems overly sticky, add more flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together and it can form into a ball that holds it's shape.
  8. Place the white sugar in a shallow bowl or on a plate with a rim.
  9. Roll the dough into two inch balls and roll them around in the white sugar to coat.
  10. Place cookies unto an ungreased cookie sheet spaced about 2 inches apart.
  11. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until the tops are just cracked. For an even chewier cookie, bake a little less- maybe 7 minutes.
  12. Cool completely on a wire rack. Makes about 2 dozen.

Easy Molasses Cookies-2

 

Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts by Aglaia Kremezi

by

Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts
Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts may be Aglaia Kremezi’s best cookbook yet. Or, at least it’s my favorite! I’ve been taking this book to bed with me each night this week, devouring every word and making lists of ingredients to add to my pantry and recipes to try.

The book, a collection of simple, fresh vegetarian dishes comes from Aglaia’s home kitchen on the island of Kea and features beautifully shot photos by one of my favorite photographers, Penny De Los Santos. I love looking through the pages and seeing familiar dishes we made, places we visited and people that I met during my weeklong stay on Kea at the culinary school run by Aglaia and her husband, Costas. It brought back many wonderful memories.

A few weeks ago I was honored to be invited to Aglaia’s book launch luncheon at Bustan, a pan-Mediterranean restaurant here in NYC. It was so lovely to see her again.  The chef, Israeli native Efraim (Efi) Nahon, recreated several dishes from Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts as well as introduced us to some items on their menu. It was a truly fabulous meal.

Bustan Menu

Bustan

Bustan Lunch

Aglaia tells us that she is not really a vegetarian but she ate very little meat growing up as it was saved for once or twice a week and for special occasions due to its price and availability. She mainly ate vegetables that were grown in her family’s garden. These recipes that she shares are the same ones she grew up with. They aren’t new, faddish or in style. They are the traditional, regional dishes that have been around for years and they correspond to the healthy, vegetarian cooking that is now popular.

The book provides detailed ingredient descriptions and preparation techniques that will make the most of your garden or farmers’ market fare so there will be as little waste as possible. She also provides wonderful head notes with stories about each recipe and alternative variations for several. There are even menus to help you plan seasonal dishes and an extensive sourcing listing. It’s an invaluable resource for Mediterranean cooking.

At Bustan, one of the dishes we tried was the Pseudo- Moussaka with Spicy Tomato Sauce, Walnuts and Feta. This dish, with the warm rich flavors is perfectly balanced with sweet and spice. I loved this flavorful dish and I had to made this recipe first. It was just as good as the one at the restaurant and although there are several steps to follow, it was quite easy and now that I’ve made it once, it can be easily recreated. Half of the walnuts could easily be replaced with chopped meat to make a non-vegetarian version.

Medirerranean Vege Feasts -1

Medirerranean Vege Feasts -3

I also made the Roasted Cauliflower with Musa’s Zahter Relish. Roasting cauliflower is such a great technique as it maintains a slight crunch and intensifies the nutty flavor. The Zahter Relish is like a dressing or sauce that you drizzle over the cooked vegetable. It’s incredibly bright and savory and we decided it was quite like a Chimichurri sauce and would also be delicious over a steak and other grilled or roasted vegetables. Aglaia also suggests adding a bit of white wine to it and serving it over fish. How wonderfully versatile!

Medirerranean Vege Feasts -4

For the mezze course, I made the Grilled Feta, Tomato, and Pepper with Olive Oil and Oregano (Bouyourdi) and the Garlic Spread known as Skordalia. I was quite generous with the garlic cloves and certainly warded off evil for at least several hours. They made great accompaniments to the roasted red pepper sauce, olives, and fresh hunks of country bread that we ate with them.

Medirerranean Vege Feasts -7

Medirerranean Vege Feasts -6

For lunch on Thanksgiving day, I also made the Crispy Cheese Pie (Lazy Woman’s Pie) a variation to the cheese pie made by Balkan women in their wood ovens. We needed something while cooking the traditional fare and this was a quick and easy preparation of feta, ricotta and herbs in a phyllo crust. It’s such a great lunch that I’ve frozen half to take slices with me to work next week with a side of salad greens.

Lazy Womens Pie- Crispy Cheese Pie

There are so many more recipes in the book that I am looking forward to making. Some, I’ve made before, like the Flourless Almond Cookies from Kea and the Spinach and Cheese Pie and a version of the Stuffed Summer Vegetables with Rice, Farro and Pine Nuts. But there are so many that I need to try. I’m excited for each of them.

I see Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts as one of my favorite cookbooks and plan to use it often and I’d recommend it to anyone vegetarian or not.

 

*This post includes my affiliate links to Amazon where you may buy the book.