Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

SSB - Week 5 - Lemony Semolina Cookies (Biscotti di Limone e Semolino)

Happy Mother's Day!

Krista came up with the notion that it might be interesting to get a group of folks together to bake and blog each week. A group of us on Slow Travel are going to do just that. Each participant selects a recipe from the cookbook and we all work our way through it. Today is the fifth entry in our baking challenge as we continue to work our way through Dolce Italiano by Gina DePalma (who also happens to be a member of the slowtravel community). This is my last entry before I head to Italy to experience some of these treats in their 'home' country.

This week it was my turn to select the recipe for the slowbakers to make -  Lemon Semolina Cookies (biscotti di limone e semolino). I selected it because I thought that the cookies would go nicely with the dessert I was making for Mother's Day dinner - a Champagne Gelatin with Strawberries. I also selfishly thought it would be a simple thing to put together two days before we leave for Italy (hmmm, I wonder how many different ways I can weave that into the post?).

These cookies are deliciously crunchy, lemony enough to suit any lemonfan and not too sweet. They would go equally with tea or coffee and would probably be very nice along with a glass of limoncello after a heavy dinner in place of a more traditional dolce. I like the way that the light coating of sugar glistens in the light.

Lemony Semolina Cookies

Source: Dolce Italiano by Gina De Palma
Makes 5 dozen cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup semolina
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
freshly grated zest and juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons limonccello
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk flour, semolina, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.

Using KitchenAid (or similar) cream together the butter, oil and 1 cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and egg yolk, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Continue to add the lemon zest, juice, limoncello and vanilla, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl down.

Using low speed beat in the dry ingredients until a very soft dough is formed. Scrape out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, flatten into a disc, wrap and chill for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets, line with baking parchment or line with a teflon sheet.

Break off teaspoon-sized bits of dough and roll them into balls about an inch in diameter. Roll each in a small bowl of sugar and place on the tray. Make sure to space them an inch apart as they'll spread.

Bake for 14-15 minutes until they've flattened out and are crinkly on top. Cool on the sheet for 2 minute and then use a spatula to transfer to a wire rack.

Sunday Slow Bakers - Week 4 Grappa-soaked Mini Sponge Cakes

Krista came up with an idea that it would be fun to get a group of folks together to bake and blog each week. A group of us on Slow Travel are going to do just that. Each participant selects a recipe from the cookbook and we all work our way through it. Today is the fourth entry in our baking challenge as we continue to work our way through Dolce Italiano by Gina DePalma (who also happens to be a member of the slowtravel community).

This week's selection, Grappa-Soaked Mini Sponge Cakes (pan di spagna con grappa), was selected by Palma. It presented folks with a few challenges - many of us didn't have mini bundt cake pans. Some used a large bundt pan, others muffin tins. Me? I had an mini easter egg bundt tin which I have used once. I was far too concerned about saving money for our upcoming trip to Italy to buy a new pan. I made easter egg grappa soaked mini sponge cakes.

The other challenge was in finding the grappa. Sandi searched in vain but discovered that the Piggly Wiggly in Alabama just did not carry the stuff. I had no trouble finding grappa but it was only available in huge bottles. Funny that I had no trouble shelling out $ 50 bucks for grappa but would not buy new cake pans 10 days prior to leaving for Italy . . . I ended up buying a Mazzetti Grappa di nebbiolo in honour of our upcoming trip to Piemonte. Others used brandy, amaretto, or lemoncello.

I only needed 4 tablespoons of the grappa for the cakes, I am sure that Paul will drink the rest of the stuff. . . .

This is Paul knocking back a third glass of Casa Emma grappa during our tour of the winery back in /06. It was thoughtful of his to drink mine because I was driving, his own because he just can't waste a good drink, and mom's because she was already 'overserved'. I'm not sure that he has recovered from his grappa induced coma though.

Grappa-soaked Mini Sponge Cakes

For the grappa syrup:

3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons grappa
1/4 cup water

For the sponge cakes:

2 cups cake flour (I used all-purpose)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
8 large eggs, separated (mine were extra-large so I only used 7)
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon grappa
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray and flour 2 mini bundt pans (or one large bundt pan).

Stir together the ingredients for the grappa syrup in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the syrup to cool.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Place the egg yolks, sugar, and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat at medium speed until they are very light, pale yellow, and doubled in volume (about 3 minutes). Beat in the grappa and vanilla, followed by the melted butter. Transfer this mixture into a large mixing bowl. Fold in the dry ingredients quickly and lightly, using a large rubber spatula, stopping just before they are fully mixed together.

Clean the mixer bowl and whisk attachment and carefully dry. Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl and beat on medium-high speed until foamy and light. Add the cream of tartar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter quickly and lightly.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, filling them 3/4 of the way full. Smooth the tops. Bake the cakes for 20 - 25 minutes (note, the time will be longer if you are making one large cake), or until the cakes pull away from the sides of the pans. Allow the cakes to cool for about five minutes in the pans. Carefully remove them to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Gently brush the cakes with grappa syrup, being sure to cover the entire surface of the warm cakes with the syrup. Use all of the syrup. Allow the cakes to cool completely before serving.

Gina suggests serving the cakes with whipped cream (to which you could add a small quantity of the syrup), creme fraiche, or gelato. They could also be garnished with fresh fruit or simply dusted with icing sugar.

We enjoyed our cakes with a bit of gelato. They were amazing! The grappa syrup was delicious, although the grappa flavour isn’t very strong as most of the alcohol does burn off while the syrup is cooking. The little cakes are pretty and make for an attractive presentation. I will definately be making this recipe again (hmmm - I guess I should have sprung for those new pans! *smile*)

You can see how the other slow bakers met this challenge on their blogs . . .

Destination Anywhere
Cooking at the Whistlestop Cafe
Happy Trails for Us; My Reluctant Blog
In and Out of the Garden
Keep Your Feet in the Street
My Place in the Sun 
Palmabella's Passions
Postcards From the Trail 
What I Really Think

Babbo Breadsticks (Grissini)

Krista came up with an idea that it would be fun to get a group of folks together to bake and blog each week. A group of us on Slow Travel are going to do just that. Today is the third entry in our baking challenge as we continue to work our way through Dolce Italiano. This week it was Colleen's turn to select the recipe and she selected these bread sticks which are on pp 270 and 271..

It was nice to try a savoury recipe from the book. Gina makes these breadsticks daily and they are served at the bar at Babbo in NY City. They are easy to make - even for someone who is yeast phobic like myself. One taste of these breadsticks (I dare you to only try one!) and you'll want to hop a plane to NY to check out the other treats at Babbo!

Babbo Breadsticks (Grissini)

1/3 cup warm water

1 pkg yeast

pinch of sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup '00' flour (you could use 3 cups all purpose if you are unable to find 00 flour)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup cold water

2 Tbs EVOO

1/2 cup grated parmigiana cheese

1 Tbs unsalted butter

Kosher salt

Pour the 1/3 cup water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top. Stir it in the water with a pinch of sugar. Allow to sit until frothy and foaming - about 8 minutes.

In bowl of a stand mixer combine flours, salt and pepper. Make a well in the centre of the mixture. Pour the yeast into the well followed by the water. Using the dough hook attachment, knead the ingredients until mixed for about 2 minutes. Stop the motor and add the 2 tbsp olive oil, butter, and parmigiana cheese. Continue mixing with the cough hook for 2 - 3 minutes until smooth.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured board. Knead by hand until it is velvety smooth - about one minute. Place the dough in a greased mixing bowl. Cover with a greased piece of saran and set in a warm, draft free spot until double in volume (about 2 hours).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange two racks in the middle and lower part of the oven. Prepare three baking sheets by either oiling them and covering them with parchment or by covering them with a silpat sheet (I used silpat).

Turn the dough out onto the floured board. Cut into quarters. Leave one quarter on the board and return the rest to the bowl. Cover to ensure that the remaining dough does not dry out. Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces. Roll out each 1 inch sections of dough into a 14-15 inch breadsticks - about 1/8 inch thick. Brush lightly with olive oil - sprinkle with additional cheese.

Bake 12-14 minutes until golden brown (rotate half way through the baking to ensure even browning).

Makes about 30 breadsticks

SSB - Week 2 - Sicilian Pistacio Cookies

Krista came up with an idea that it would be fun to get a group of folks together to bake and blog each week. A group of us on Slow Travel are going to do just that. Today is the second entry in our baking challenge as we continue to work our way through Dolce Italiano. This week was Deborah's turn to select the recipe and she selected these cookies bars which are found on p. 60.

These cookies are quite easy to make and pack a wonderful flavour. The nicest thing about this recipe is there is no rolling or shaping of the cookies - just dump the dough in a pan, bake, and cut into bars. It really does not get any easier than that does it? The ingredients are readily available - just be sure that you use unsalted pistachios or your cookies might taste salty.

Gina's book is beautiful and a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the intricacies of Italian baking.

Sicilian Pistachio Bars

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 c. shelled, whole (unsalted) Sicilian pistachios
1 c. (2 sticks/8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 c. plus 2 t. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 t. amaretto or 1/2 t. pure almond extract
Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 325F (160C). Line a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan with parchment paper and grease the paper. Sift flour and salt. Dump 1/2 cup of the pistachios into the food processor and finely chop. Add the chopped pistachios to the flour mixture. Set aside.

Cream the butter with the sugar with a stand mizer fitted iwth the paddle attachment until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs in one at a time, then the vanilla, amaretto/almond, and lemon zest. Be sure to scrap the bowl down after each addition.

Add the flour mixture slowly and mix well. Turn out the dough onto the pan and spread with an offset spatula so that it’s evenly distributed. Sprinkle the remaining pistachios and sugar on the dough.

Bake for 35-45 minutes (note: keep a close eye on them as mine finished before the time). Rotate the pan half way through the baking time to ensure even browning. After taking out the tray, allow to cool slightly on a rack before cutting in to bars.

Next week the Sunday Slow Bakers tackle a savoury recipe: Babbo Breadsticks/grissini .

Sunday Slow Bakers - Sbrisolona (Italian Crumbly Cake)

Krista came up with an idea that it would be fun to bake and blog each week. And a group of us on Slow Travel are going to do just that. Today is the first entry in our baking challenge. Here's how it works: we pick a cookbook and each week a person on our list picks a recipe from that book. We all bake it sometime during the week and post the results on our blog on Sunday.

The book we're starting with is Dolce Italiano by Gina DePalma and the first recipe was Krista's pick:  Italian Crumbly Cake (sbrisolona) on page 82.

I ordered this book prior to Christmas, having heard rave reviews of it. I was quickly a convert. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Gina, pastry chef at Mario Batalia's famous restaurant Babbo in New York City was none other than stella on the slowtravel message board!

Gina's book is beautiful and a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the intricacies of Italian baking.

Sbrisolona

makes one 10-inch cake, approximately 10 servings

For the cake
1 1/4 cups "00" flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 large egg
4 large egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick/4oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the topping
1 1/2 cups sliced blanched almonds
1 large egg white
3 tbsp granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 325F and position a rack in the center. Lightly grease a 10-inch spring form pan* with nonstick cooking spray or butter, dust it with flour, and tap to knock out the excess.

To make the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the "00" flour, almond flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon and set aside.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg, egg yolks, and sugar on medium speed until they are thick and pale yellow, about three minutes. On low speed, add the dry ingredients and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla extract, followed by the melted butter. Switch to medium speed and beat for 30 seconds.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

To make the topping: Put the sliced almonds in a medium bowl. Lightly beat the egg white in a small bowl with a fork until it is foamy and light, then pour half of it over the almonds, stirring to coat them evenly (discard the rest of the egg white). Sprinkle the almonds with the sugar and toss to coat them. Spread the almond topping evenly over the surface of the batter.

Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes, or until it is springy to the touch and golden brown on top and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove the sides and allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack.

To serve, carefully remove the bottom of the spring form pan with an offset spatula and transfer the cake to a serving plate. Any leftover cake can be wrapped in plastic and served the next day.

*I used a 9 inch spring form pan because I didn't have a 10 inch pan.