mix, mix… stir, stir

Sweet
Lenxox Almond Biscotti is what the Tuesdays with Dorie group is cooking up this week. Biscotti are my favorite cookie to eat while enjoying a hot cup of coffee or tea. They are crunchy and satisftying and usually big, making it possible to enjoy the cookie accompaniment with the entire cup of hot beverage. I still remember experiencing great excitement the first time I made biscotti; having sliced the logs of baked dough as directed, there before my eyes were biscotti shaped just like the ones at the fancy coffee shop! It was thrilling.  It is a simple shape to achieve, but I had never thought through how to make a cookie shaped that way. To this day I love the moment of transformation from single log of dough to beautiful bias-cut shaped cookies, all with the simple slice of a knife.

photo by David Peterman

Dorie Greenspan’s recipe in Baking: From My Home to Yours, is good, but I added a few twists to suit my preferences. I like really crispy biscotti so I cut the butter back to 4 Tbsp from 8 which did the trick. I also prefer whole nuts in biscotti for both aesthetics and taste, so I used whole balanced almonds rather than slivered. I buy a magnificent spice blend called Kashmiri Garam Masala, from World Spice and it works so beautifully in baked goods that I tossed in a teaspoon in addition to bumping up the salt by an 1/8 teaspoon. For a shiny finish, I gave the logs a brush with an egg wash before the first baking.

At first glance Kashmiri Garam Masala might seem like a strange choice for baking, after all it has black peppercorn, black cumin, and coriander in it. It is the cardamom, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon along with the fact that all the spices are toasted to a nice warm nutty flavor that maks this blend so delicious in sweet applications. One whiff and you will know what I mean. I have used it to spice up butter cookies, pancakes, madeleines, chocolate ganache, and the list goes on.

I did have an issue with the baking instructions for this recipe. Dorie instructs the first baking to be “15 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden and springy to the touch.” I found that to be not nearly long enough to sufficiently set the interior of the dough. I ended up baking mine for 30 minutes before pulling them out and slicing them. The first batch I baked about 20 minutes and when I removed the logs from the oven they proceeded to collapse because they were still quite raw in the center. After slicing them, I returned them to the oven for the second baking and they puffed up again, but lost the nice sharp cut edges that say “biscotti” to me. I made these a second time and baked them for 30 minutes, let the logs cool just 10 minutes, enough so I wouldn’t burn myself when slicing the cookies, and then returned them to bake for an additional 20 minutes. I also reduced the oven temperature from 350 degrees F to 300 degrees F for the second baking. The result was much more to my liking. Crispy dry with clean cut edges and not overly browned.

Thank you to Gretchen of Canela & Comino for selecting the biscotti recipe. These are easy to make, and though they require a fair amount of baking time, you can set a timer and wonder off to do other things. Because the dough is not individually portioned into cookies, biscotti are quick to make.

Savory
In addition to being a great sweet treat, biscotti are wonderful in a savory application. I have served these as an hors d’oeuvre nibble at parties, as part of a bread basket at dinner, and as a nice alternative to bread along side soup or salad. I like to make savory biscotti a little less crisp than dessert biscotti, so there is the addition of olive oil and milk. The flavoring can really go in any direction, so play around to suit your needs. I am thinking of working on a sundried tomato and parmesan version next.

photo by David Peterman

Toasting Spices
Toasting spices is not about bringing out flavor; it is about changing the flavor. A toasted spice is like anything toasted, think of toasted verses raw almonds or bread. Sometimes toasted is what you want and other times not, it is the same with spices. Try toasting a spice and taste it compared the untoasted spice and you will immediately understand what a toasted or non-toasted spice will bring to a dish

For small quantities I prefer to toast spices in a dry skillet on the stove top over a medium heat. It is important to shake the pan and keep them moving around so they don’t burn.  The level of toasting depends on how much toasty flavor you desire. Experimentation is the best way to determine preferences for different dishes. Some foods will benefit from a nice dark roast on the spice and other lighter flavored dishes may be best complimented with just a golden hue added to the spice. 

Rosemary Orange Almond Biscotti
2 cups flour
1/2 cup corn meal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
zest of one orange
2 tsp. whole coriander, toasted then crushed
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup whole blanched almonds
Additional egg for egg wash, if desired
Kosher or flake salt for garnishing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

If eggs are cold, place them in a bowl of warm tap water to take the chill off. The milk can be warmed in the microwave on low for about 15 seconds to take the chill off.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, corn meal, baking powder, salt, pepper, rosemary, orange zest, and coriander. Stir with fingers to combine ingredients and break up any clumps of the orange zest so they are well disitributed throughout the mixture. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter then add the olive oil and beat to combine. Add the eggs one at a time giving the mixture time to combine before adding the milk. The butter may appear clumpy, but it will come together once the dry ingredients are added. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and stop the mixer just before the flour is fully incorperated into the dough. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the almonds, stirring by hand to incorperate should integrate the flour mixture without risking over mixing.

Divide the dough into two portions on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Using your hands, form each portion of dough into a long log shape. This is a wet, sticky dough that generally behaves without the need for additional flour if just patted and pushed into shape. If making party nibbles, it is best to make the logs rather long and only 2-21/2 inches wide and not to thick, so the biscotti will be bite-sized once cut into pieces. For nice long biscotti, shape the logs 3-31/2 inches wide.  

Wisk an egg with a little bit of water to create an egg wash. Using a pastry brush paint the logs with the egg wash then sprinkle with a light dusting of kosher salt, or preferably a delicate flake salt if you have it. Bake for 30 minutes. The dough should just be taking on a golden brown color and be cooked through enough to hold its structure. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for about 10 minutes, or until you can comfortably slice the logs.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Using a serrated knife, slice the logs at about a 45 degree angle creating slices about 3/4 to 1 inch thick.  Conduct a quality control study by snacking on the end piece trimmings. Place the biscotti slices back on the baking sheet and return to the oven for about 20 more minutes. The second baking is designed to dry out the biscotti and make them crisp. Transfer to cooling rack and serve at room temperature, or store in an airtight container for about a week.

 It was Iron Chef Bobby Flay vs. Gabrielle Hamilton, owner and Chef of Prun restaurant in NYC in battle Zucchini. As always there were many interesting dishes created, but one in particular hit me as a must-make. The first factor is that it looked delicious and the judges raved about it. Secondly, it looked very straight forward as in I didn’t actually need a recipe to make it work, and the kicker was the use of Harissa.  I just happen to have been given a jar of wonderful Harrissa recently.

Harissa is a hot chili paste used frequently in North African cuisines especially Tunisia and Morocco. It is commonly used as both a condiment and an ingredient. Typically it is made from dried chilies, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, and various spices such as coriander, cumin, or caraway. There are many recipes available to make your own or you can find it for sales in specialty stores or online.

Chef Hamilton boiled a variety of zucchini and tossed them with harissa, garlic, coriander, caraway, olive oil, lemon juice, green and black olives, and fete cheese. It was so simple, and with such raves from the judges I had to recreate my own little Iron Chef America moment.

I grilled the zucchini rather than boil it and added cumin to substitute for being out of caraway. Though I am sure I have some, I dug and dug through my spices and never found it. Next time I am looking for a different spice I will no doubt encounter two or three containers of caraway.

Zucchini Like an Iron Chef
Keeping with the style of Iron Chef, don’t bother measuring. Eyeball everything like a pro!

A variety of zucchini (4-10) depending on how many people you are feeding)
Harissa
Garlic paste
Coriander seed
Cumin seed
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Fete cheese
Green olives
Black olives

Cut the zucchini into large pieces. Coat the zucchini with a bit of olive oil and place it on a hot grill. Watch it carefully to avoid over cooking and pay attention to the different rates that different varieties of zucchini cook. It should still be a bit firm when removed from the grill so that it can stand up to being tossed with the other ingredients.

Crush some coriander and cumin seeds to break them up, but don’t grind them to a powder. In a small bowl combine a good dollop of harissa, some garlic paste, splash of lemon juice, and the coriander and cumin. Mix well and set aside.

Cut the fete cheese into half-inch cubes and set aside. Remove the pits from the olives and cut them into large pieces and set aside.

Once the zucchini comes off the grill place it in a bowl large enough to mix everything together. Add the harissa, and stir to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning adding more harissa if needed. Mix in the olives. Place the zucchini on a serving platter and sprinkle the fete cubes over the top. If you are making a large quantity, mix some of the fete in and save some to garnish the top of the dish. If all of the fete is mixed in, it turns red from the harissa and isn’t as pretty as the bright white fete.

It is a delicious way to enjoy zucchini that is so bountiful this time of year. The dish would make a great side for a buffet or to take to a pot luck because it doesn’t need to be piping hot when served. Best of all it is quick and easy to put together, but makes you look like an Iron Chef!