Since we are both big fans of the biscotti, I decided to tackle crunchy first.  As you may have heard, M is crazy for the Cardamom Biscotti and requests it often.  I assured him that these would be just as good (they actually aren’t) and that it would allow me to try something new.

Biscotti are great in that they provide a terrific bit of sweet to the end of a meal without the addition of any fat.

Almond Biscotti

from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich

Ingredients

• 2 cups (9 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (7 oz) sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp amaretto or 2 Tbsp rum with 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp aniseed, crushed in a mortar to release flavor (optional)
• 1 cup (5 oz) whole almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees with a rack in the middle. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or foil.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and mix together thoroughly with a whisk or fork.
3. Whisk the eggs, amaretto, vanilla, and aniseed, if using, in a large bowl until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture and then the almonds. The dough will be thick and sticky. Scrape the dough into a long log shape lengthwise on the prepared cookie sheet. Wet your hands and shape the dough into a long flat loaf about 12 by 4 inches.
4. Bake for about 50 minutes, until firm and dry, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Set the pan on a rack to cool for at least 15 minutes. Leave the oven on.
5. Transfer the loaf carefully to a cutting board by sliding a metal spatula under the loaf to detach and remove the parchment or foil. Using a long serrated knife, cut the loaf on a diagonal into slices 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide. Transfer the slices to the unlined baking sheet, standing them at least 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until golden brown, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Cool the cookies completely before stacking or storing. To retain crispness, put the cookies in an airtight container as soon as they are completely cool. Biscotti may be stored airtight for several weeks.

Truth be told, they had me at verde.  There is something about a green sauce that just sends me into food heaven.  This dish has several of my favorite green ingredients – green chile, cilantro and tomatillos.

Mild green chiles, mix with the tart tomatillos to create a delicious base for pork to smother and cook in for hours.  A perfect winter Sunday afternoon creation but I could and will enjoy it all year long.

I also finally bought Mexican oregano for this recipe, after using only Mediterranean oregano for years.  The Mexican version does indeed have a smoky flavor that the Mediterranean does not and it is a welcome addition.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat and is off-limits for those with wheat allergy or celiac disease. It is also the magical ingredient that provides cohesiveness to dough and is easily taken for granted by me, the non-gluten-free baker.

Our gluten-free girl recently came to dinner and I decided to finally tackle this type of baking.  I had recently read an article in Saveur on favorite holiday cookies from around the world. Switzerland’s entry was for Basler Brunsli, also known as a chocolate-almond spice cookie.  No flour in this recipe – a cookie everyone can enjoy.

It certainly sounded promising– almonds, sugar, cloves, cinnamon and chocolate. Chewy texture and the “unmistakable flavor of old-fashioned Christmas cheer.” Well, alright then.

However, I cannot lie. This was one frustrating cookie and I almost scrapped it in favor of something, anything, that was not baked.

The dough is very tricky and needed, I don’t know, some flour to help hold things together. Determined not go give up, I found that working in small batches and keeping the excess dough in the freezer was the key to success.

Overall, the Basler Brunsli is actually quite nice and resembles a chewy chocolatey spicy brownie. A nice ending to a gluten-free dinner for a guest that I hope returns on many occasions in the near future.

Basler Brunsli – (Chocolate-Almond Spice Cookies)

Saveur, Issue #134

Ingredients

8 oz. whole blanched almonds

1 1/2 cups sugar, plus more for rolling

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Preparation

Finely grind almonds and sugar in a food processor. Add chocolate; pulse until finely ground. Add cinnamon, cloves, and egg whites; pulse to make a dough.

Sprinkle a large piece of parchment paper with sugar; transfer dough to paper. Lay another piece of paper over dough; roll dough to 1/8″ thickness.

Cut out cookies with star-shaped cutters; transfer to parchment paper—lined baking sheets, spacing cookies 1″ apart. Reroll scraps and repeat. Let dough dry for 3 hours.

Heat oven to 300°. Bake until cookies are slightly puffed, 12–15 minutes. Let cool.

MAKES ABOUT 4 DOZEN

As I mentioned, it is lovely on a cracker or toasted baguette.  But it is also delicious alongside a piece of pork tenderloin, rubbed under the skin of a chicken before it is roasted, served with that same chicken after comes out of the oven, or even with lamb.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes, by David Tanis.  He has a simpler tapenade but suggests this version if you like a little more tap in your tapenade.  He serves it with Roast Leg of Lamb with Flageolet Beans and I just served it anywhere I could.

Olive Relish

from A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes by David Tanis

Ingredients

1 cup oil-cured Moroccan olives, pitted

I cup Niçoise olives, pitted

2 teaspoons capers, well rinsed

2 small garlic cloves, smashed to a paste with a little salt

Finely chopped zest of half a small lemon

Juice of 1 small lemon

1 teaspoon chopped thyme

2 anchovy filets, well rinsed and chopped (optional)

About 3/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

Pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes (optional)

Preparation

Put the olives, capers, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, thyme, anchovies, if using, and 1/2 cup olive oil in a blender or food processor and grind to a paste.  Make the texture of the relish to your preference – rough or smooth.  Pulsing the ingredients makes it rough; for a smoother version, let the machine run for a few minutes.

Scrape the olive relish into a small bowl.  Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding pepper – or a little cayenne or red pepper flakes – as desired and salt if necessary.  Thin with a little more olive oil to loosen the paste.

Makes about 2 cups.

Crème Brûlée sounds intimidating but it’s really not.  The tricky part is making sure that your custard does not cook when adding the hot cream to the egg yolks.  Once past that part, it is relatively smooth sailing.

The caramelization of the sugary top can be done in your oven’s broiler.  But it is more fun to use a kitchen torch.

More fun than that is going to Home Depot and discussing the pros and cons of different blow torches with the knowledgeable sales staff .

“Exactly what do you plan to use this blow torch for?” the kind salesman finally asked after several minutes of deliberation.

“Crème Brûlée, of course.”

And then we laughed all the way home.

Coffee-Caramel Crème Brûlée

by Sarah Patterson Scott, Bon Appétit, March 2009

Ingredients

2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

1/4 cup dark-roast coffee beans (such as French roast; about 3/4 ounce), crushed with mallet in plastic bag

1 cup sugar, divided

1/2 cup water

2 cups half and half

8 large egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 teaspoons raw sugar

Preparation

Bring 1 cup cream and coffee beans to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat; cover and let steep at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Stir 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, swirling pan occasionally, about 11 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Add remaining 1 cup whipping cream (mixture will bubble up). Stir over low heat until caramel is smooth. Stir in half and half. Strain coffee-infused cream into caramel cream; discard coffee beans in strainer.

Whisk yolks, salt, and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in cream mixture. Strain custard into large measuring cup.

Arrange eight 2/3-to 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups in roasting pan. Divide custard among ramekins. Add enough warm water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins or custard cups.

Bake custards until just set in center, 65 to 70 minutes. Transfer custards from water bath directly to refrigerator. Chill uncovered until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Sprinkle top of each custard with 1 teaspoon raw sugar. Using kitchen torch, melt sugar on each custard until deep amber. (Alternatively, preheat broiler. Arrange custards on small rimmed baking sheet; broil until sugar topping melts and browns, about 2 minutes.)

Refrigerate custards until sugar topping hardens, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour (do not chill longer than 1 hour or topping will start to soften). Serve custards cold.