Almond Biscotti

Kate, 

The other day you and I were talking and you started explaining about how much you enjoy tweaking recipes, experimenting with changes until you thought a dish was perfect.

You oozed such excitement that even though we are 1500 miles away from each other I could almost see you doing the happy dance across the phone line!

I found your excitement for experimenting with food so fascinating.

I wish I had more of that spirit of exploration and discovery. Instead, I'm content recreating the tried and true.  You made me question myself though...why do I like to cook and bake? Does every chef (in which I include home cooks) find some different form of satisfaction in the process or does everyone but me enjoy experimentation? 

As your dad has taken on more of the meal planning and preparation I've noticed that, like me, he seems to shun experimenting with recipes but is a master at planning the perfect menu for the occasion. Family dinner, poetry group, St. Patrick's Day, he is a Picasso of taste, and texture.

Last week I was in Spokane on a business trip that afforded me the opportunity to spend some time with family. It was over a simple BLT that I realized I love food best when it is a catalyst for spending time with others.  Lingering at a table laden with plates that have been wiped clean with sourdough bread, or sitting on the porch with my husband and a cup of coffee, or talking with Gayle over a simple BLT and a glass of white wine...I've discovered it's the experience of relationship that the food helps bring about that I love.   Therefore, I guess, I like preparing food that I know will nourish both healthy bodies and engaging conversations.

 

That brings me around to biscotti. Bet you wondered how I would get there. 

Remember when you were home last month and we ate biscotti for breakfast, snacks, and dessert. You asked the funny question.."How many biscotti would it take to drink a cup of coffee?"

You wanted the recipe but I don't think you ever got around to writing it down...so here it is.  I think the flavor is wonderful but the dough a bit too soft so the cookies are hard to handle and flatten out a bit more than I would like during the first baking. I've enjoyed plenty of cups of after dinner coffee and good conversation because of this recipe so I'm not going to mess with a good thing.  I'll leave the tweaking to you!

Almond Biscotti

7 ounces whole almonds, toasted

11 ounces all purpose flour

1 and 2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp aniseed

grated zest of 1 lemon, 1 lime, 1 orange

3 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients including the nuts and citrus zests. 

In  small bowl lightly mix together the eggs, yolks, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients; with a wooden spoon mix the ingredients until the hold together then dump onto a lightly floured surface. 

Form the dough into a ball and divide into 3 equal parts. You may need to add a bit more flour to make the dough easier to work with.  Roll each portion of dough into a log about 10 inches long and 2 inches wide.  

Transfer logs to a large, parchment lined cookie sheet (very important) and place about 4 inches apart (you might need 2 cookie sheets) I find using a long off-set spatula helps to move the logs. Reform logs as necessary. 

Bake at 350 degrees until the dough is set but not brown or hard. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Using a sharp knife cut the logs diagonally into cookies and place back on the cookie sheets (you don't need parchment for this step) I place the cookies so that both cut sides are exposed but you don't need to do this. 

Bake cookies a second time until they are dry to the touch.  How much you bake them is a matter of taste. This baking should take between 10 and 15 minutes. Some people like them HARD and some not so much.  You just want them dry.  This is great news because it is hard to over bake them. If they are to hard you just dip them a bit longer in your beverage of choice, coffee, tea, milk?

They can be stored in an airtight container for at least 2 weeks.

Enjoy!

Mom

Que sera sangria

Sangria. I'd never even had it until this week when I came across several recipes and decided, "Why not?" I don't know why not- it's delicious! It's cool, refreshing, infinitely variable, and when it's hot outside I don't feel bad about tossing in an ice cube or two. These used to be things I'd say about a good margarita (okay, they're still true), but I was craving something different. I need to listen to my cravings more!

I didn't follow an exact recipe, but instead did more of a mash-up of a couple different recipes I found. My original inspiration was off of pinterest from henryhappened.com, but I combined it with the recipe for stone fruit sangria from Bon Appetit magazine. I was  lazy and just did the fruit puree from BA with triple sec since I didn't have elderflower liqueur laying around. It was still tasty!

I used:

2 apricots (1 peeled and coarsely chopped, the other pitted and sliced)
2 peaches (again, 1 peeled and coarsely chopped, the other pitted and sliced)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 bottle white zinfandel
1/4 cup triple sec


1. Puree the coarsely chopped fruit with the lemon juice.


2. Add fruit puree and the triple sec to a pitcher and stir.


3. Pour in the wine, and add in the remaining sliced fruit.


4. Let this chill in the fridge for at least several hours and enjoy it on a hot summer evening.

I will definitely be making more sangria this summer- white, red, you name it. In the meantime, I'm going to sip my sangria and enjoy the peace and quiet that happens post baby bedtime.

Tunisan Carrot Salad



Tunisan Carrot Salad

As you know, I  love meat! I am a carnivore! I believe that the only way to eat protein is by consuming animals. At least that is what I used to think.
Lately, I've been reexamining my relationship with fruits and veggies and discovered I've missed out on a lot of exciting foods and food combinations. For example dinner yesterday was a zucchini gratin made with a homemade bechamel sauce and Tunisan carrots.

I have to admit cooking vegetarian is so new to me that I find myself going to the experts like Mark Bittman, Lorna Sass, and Deborah Madison.  I figure the more I can learn from these experts the better cook I will be...like cooking from Julia Child books to learn the basics of French cooking.

For diner today I made a zucchini and rice gratin with a side dish called Tunsian Carrot Salad.  Both recipes are from Deborah Madisons  book called Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. On another day I will tell you about Ms. Madison's bechamel sauce which is used to make the gratin.  It is infused with aromatics and herbs, creamy and so flavorful like none I have ever tasted. Today I want to tell you about the carrots.

They are so easy to make...boil some whole carrots in salted water until the are just tender but not soft, cut them into disks, mix with black olives and feta, toss in a vinegarette and sprinke with some herbs and more feta. Oh My!

Tunsian Carrot Salad
Serves 4-6

1 pound carrots
1 garlic clove minced
salt
2 teaspoons hot paprika or Harissa (Rod had made some Harissa the day before, so I used this yummy, new to me, flavoring)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice (I used the lemon for a more summery taste)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/3 cup crumbled or thinly sliced feta cheese
12 oil-cured black olives, pitted and diced.

Peel the whole carrots and then boil them in salted water until tender but not soft. Drain and cut into disks.

Smash the garlic with 1/4 tsp of salt and make into a paste.  In a bowl, combine, garlic, paprika or Harissa, vinegar (or lemon juice) parsely, and most the cheese and olives and toss with the carrots. Garnish with the remaining cheese and olives.

I'm back, and oh yeah, I cooked my perfect summer dinner!

So...it's been a while. Our last post was for a snow day and now it's the middle of summer... hmm.  Let's chalk it up to life is nuts, and without a regular schedule I'm truly hopeless when it comes to accomplishing anything! Now that I have my house back to myself and have something of a routine again, it's time to start cooking again, too. (I know! I've hardly cooked in months. I'm not quite sure how I'm still sane.)

There's just one problem. It's hot outside. It's hot inside. And I have no a/c. That means food is very simple these days, with as much fresh produce as I can squeeze into my fridge. My new favorite salad is actually one I found in the New York Times the other day: cucumber, tomato, and cantaloupe tossed in a light vinaigrette with fresh herbs. Find the recipe here. This is so refreshing and simple, and you can substitute whatever looks good. Cantaloupe not quite ripe? Use honeydew or peaches instead. I used little Persian cucumbers instead of the English because I didn't feel like peeling them, and you could use anything from Romas to cherry to any heirloom tomatoes you come across. Just make sure they feel heavy for their size and are firm. I cut everything up ahead of time and let some of the juices drain off, then tossed it with the dressing while the salmon cooked.

Did I mention the salmon? I miss the seafood you can get in Seattle. I crave it. I mean, I'm talking death row meal contender here. I usually can't find fresh, wild salmon down in SoCal for less than an arm and a leg, let alone salmon that a girl who grew up in the Northwest will stand for, so when I do find it, that's what's for dinner. All it needs is a little sea salt, some fresh dill sprinkled on top and  a layer of sliced lemon, and I am one happy camper! Ideally, this involves open flame for the actual cooking part, but in a pinch the broiler does just fine, and because it cooks quickly, the kitchen doesn't turn into a sauna.

I'd have taken a picture, but I was so excited for dinner I forgot. What food gets you really excited and takes you to your happy place?

Kate