Biscotti

Sometimes I swear I should be Italian. I love the language, the culture, and especially the food. But alas, not a drop of Italian blood in this lady. I am rather homogeneous (Scots-Irish, English, Welsh, with one descendant down the line being of Apache heritage). Besides having a high tolerance for alcohol, this lineage has also led my family to be a sole supporter of Coppertone.

One Italian tradition I learned to love while visiting the country with my mother was biscotti (dipped in either espresso or wine). A few years later, while I was slinging pancakes in a local cafe, I was re-introduced to biscotti. After my waitressing shift was up I would take an espresso and piece of chocolate biscotti (technically, biscotto) to accompany me on the ride back to my apartment.

Biscotti is incredibly simple (remember: I don't make anything that's "hard") and like biscuits, if you have a good base to work from, you can expand the flavors immensely. I recently made a large batch of gingerbread biscotti and espresso chocolate-chip biscotti to send to three lovely ladies as part of the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. It was so fun to send out my cookies in their little tins, only to receive three batches of scrumptious goodies in return. If you missed out, don't worry, I heard the organizers will do it again next year!

Special Shout-Out: I sent my cookies to Annalise at Completely Delicious, Jewel at Eat Drink Shop Love,  and Tanvi at The Hathi Cooks. In return, I received Double Chocolate Crackles from Amber at Amber's Confections, Molasses Cookies with Orange Sugar from Emily at Back to the Cutting Board, and Dark Chocolate Cafenela Cookies from Leslie at My Kitchen is Open. Now, on to the recipe.


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Biscotti
Makes 20 pieces


Base Recipe
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt together. Set aside

2. Beat together the eggs and sugar until combined and pale (that's how you know the sugar has dissolved). Add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

3. On a greased cookie sheet (this is one of the few times I actually dig out my Sil-Pat), form dough into log about three inches wide and 12-15 inches long. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.

4. Remove biscotti from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle. With a serrated bread knife, cut the biscotti into about 20 pieces (more or less, depending on how thick you like you biscotti). Be sure to cut straight down into the biscotti to get clean cuts that doesn't cause the cookies to crumble. Arrange back on the cookie sheet and back for another 12-15 minutes until the biscotti is dry and crisp. Allow to cool on a baking sheet. Enjoy by dunking into your favorite Italian beverage.

Espresso Chocolate-Chip Biscotti
Start with base recipe, but add to egg/sugar mixture...
2 teaspoons instant espresso or coffee powder
2 teaspoons hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
(or 3 teaspoons very strong espresso and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

After incorporating dry ingredients, add six ounces of chopped semi-sweet chocolate or mini chocolate chips. Bake as above.

Gingerbread Biscotti
Start with base recipe, but add to dry ingredients...
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange zest

Bake as above.

Biscuits

PS - I made that coffee mug!!

There are certain recipes every kitchen-savvy person should have in their repertoire for last-minute emergencies. Go-to dishes that can pinch hit and are flexible enough for myriad uses and adaptations. For me, biscuits are it. They can find a place in nearly any meal and once a good basis is established, they can be manipulated to fit a whole host of scenarios. My biscuit recipe is adapted from Baking with Julia, a cookbook I'm not sure I could live without. Seriously... go buy it right now. You won't regret it.

These biscuits can be made in advanced and frozen. Just be sure to keep them in a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. To reheat, place them in a paper bag in a single layer, close the bag by folding up the open end and bake for 10-15 minutes in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven.

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Biscuits
Makes 8 3.5" Biscuits

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt (preferably Kosher)
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups milk

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with two knives or a pastry blade. Stir in milk. Mix until just combined.

2. On a well-floured surface, turn out dough and dust with flour. Pat the dough out with hands until it is 1/2-inch thick. Fold dough in half, then in half again. Pat until the dough is 1/2-inch thick. Do this at least two more times, making sure not to overwork the dough. Folding the dough will help to give it "lift" and layers.

3. Use a 3.5" biscuit cutter to cut-out biscuits. Re-fold scraps and pat the dough out to 1/2-inch thick again (you'll probably end up with a little ball of dough left - pat it down and make it into a mini-biscuit). Brush the tops of the biscuits with an egg wash (one egg mixed with 1 tablespoon of water or milk). Let the biscuits rest for 5 minutes.

4. Place biscuits on a greased cookie sheet (or better yet, on a pizza stone hot from the oven) and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until biscuits have risen and appear golden on top. Place on a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Some more ideas: Serve these biscuits at breakfast with butter and jam or at dinner with herb compound butter (you could even dust the tops with a little herbed salt before baking). These biscuits are a great companion for strawberry shortcake - just sprinkle some sanding or demerara sugar on top of the dough after the egg wash. For a savory kick, try adding 1/2 tablespoon of dill and 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese to the dough, or add 2 teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning and use these biscuits to sop-up melted butter at a seafood bake. Herb fans should try adding sage, a la this guy.

Dessert Pizza

Everyone loves pizza, right? RIGHT?! I certainly do. I also love sweets. So, put "pizza" and "sweet" together and you get the perfect meal: Dessert Pizza. I posted the how-to on this delicious dish over at From Scratch Club. Check it out if you get the chance. Nectarines and black raspberries not your thing? Here are some other Dessert Pizza suggestions:

- Raspberry jam, mixed berries, drizzle of chocolate

- White chocolate, strawberries, chopped pecans

- Lemon curd, candied citrus peel, mint leaves

Enjoy, and for more of my From Scratch Club posts, click here.

Strawberry Jam

While May is National Strawberry Month, the juicy, red fruits don't hit their prime in the Northeast until June. Strawberries were at peak ripeness last week, so Edith and I went picking.



One of the best ways to ensure you capture a bit of summer is to make Strawberry Jam. The house smelled heavenly all weekend long with the aroma of jam stewing on the stove (something I look forward to all year long). Many people think jam is an overly-complex process. Truth is, you can't really screw it up. If it turns out too thin and runny, it becomes ice cream topping. If too thick, spread it into a parchment-lined 9"x13" pan, cut into 1-inch squares, sprinkle with sugar, and you have jelly candies. Jam does take a little time, and needs to be stirred often to prevent burning (but I just try to catch-up on emails or get through the stack of magazines in the kitchen while the jam is cooking). Here is a simple, all-natural jam recipe I hope you will try.

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Strawberry Jam
Makes About 5 Pints*

8 cups strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered
5 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups peeled, cored and grated apples (like Granny Smith - about 3 apples)**
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier (or any kind of quality orange liqueur or Triple Sec)***
2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1. In a large pot, combine all ingredients. Cook over medium-high heat until a boil forms. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan frequently, until bubbles become larger and slower (about 45 minutes to an hour). Jam should reduce to a little more than half to be considered done, or read at 220 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer.

3. Remove from heat and immediately ladle into hot jars or other containers. The jam can be canned (either in a hot-water bath or pressure canner, just follow manufacturer's recommendations) or refrigerated for about two weeks.

*This recipe can easily by halved to 4 cups strawberries, 2 1/2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup apples, 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier, and 1 teaspoon salt.

**This recipe uses no commercial pectin. Apples are a natural source of pectin and help to thicken the jam.

***Orange or lemon juice is a fine alternative.

Stay tuned for more strawberry recipes (and be warned... June is National Dairy Month, so look out for recipes utilizing my favorite food group!).

Sundays on the Sunporch: Three Berry "Pop-Tarts"

Now that spring is here and the weather is beautiful (save for all the rain we've been having), it's time to re-instate Sundays on the Sunporch. This is one of my favorite little traditions Dave and I have started for our family. Just lazing around on the sunporch, testing out a new breakfast/brunch recipe with a full pot of French Press, and enjoying each other's company.

Yesterday, Edith and I tried our hands at homemade three berry "Pop-Tarts." I think deep-down we all secretly love Pop-Tarts (or the childhood nostalgia that surrounds them). This recipe provides a glimpse into the classic shelf-stable breakfast food but elevates it to something you can actually feel good about eating. If you prefer, you can make a simple milk glaze (two parts confectioners sugar to one part milk - whisk until smooth) to drizzle on top of the pastries once cooled slightly, but I like them straight-up.

My little helper, Edie. She brushed the egg wash on the dough and

 assisted with mixing. And yes, she also likes to wear a sand pail as a hat

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Three Berry "Pop-Tarts"
Makes 6 servings

For the Dough*
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt (preferrably sea salt)
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup ice water
1 egg
1 tablespoon cream or milk
Raw/Demerara sugar

For the Filling
1 1/2 cups berries of choice (I used raspberries, blueberries and blackberries)**
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare two baking sheets with parcement paper or Sil-Pat mats.

2. In a large bowl, combine dough allowances of flour, salt, and white sugar. Whisk to combine. Cut-in butter using a pastry blender or hands.

3. Add water (but not ice!) a tablespoon at a time. Add/reduce recommended about based on the point the dough just forms a ball.

4. Cover dough an refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

5. In a new bowl, mix filling ingredients together, macerating the berries slightly to release juice. Be sure flour is well-mixed with berries.

6. Once dough is chilled, remove and roll out into a large rectangle 1/4-inch thick (cut dough in half if needed and roll each half separately). Be sure the rolling pin and surface are both well-floured.

7. Using a knife or pastry wheel, cut dough into twelve rectangles.

8. Mix egg with heavy cream to form an egg wash. Brush egg wash onto the edges of all dough rectangles.

9. Spoon filling onto half of the dough rectangles. Cover with other half of dough rectangles. Push edges together with fingers, then crimp or seal with the tines of a fork.

10. Brush remaining egg wash on the top of the pastries. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Pierce the top of the pastries with a knife to make three small steam holes.

11. Place pastries on prepared baking sheets, bake for 10-15 minutes or until edges and golden brown.

Pastries can be wrapped in waxed paper, stored in a Ziploc bag or storage container, and placed in the freezer for up to three months. They can be re-heated in the oven or in the toaster (it might take two "rotations" in the toaster if frozen). I think I might also make these for a summertime dinner party with a sprig of fresh mint and homemade vanilla ice cream as a dessert! Ooo, the possibilities.

* The dough recipe is adapted from La Buena Vida.

** Do not hesitate to use frozen berries. In my opinion, it is better to pick (or buy) fresh fruit locally and freeze it (or buy bags of frozen fruit from the grocer) than to buy fresh supermarket berries grown halfway around the world. Fresh doesn't always mean better!

Blueberry Buckle

My parents were at the farm over the weekend, and whenever they come I always make sure to feed them. The main reason they come to visit is, of course, to play with their grandkids, but I usually have some project I need them to help me with when they are here. Making sure my folks are well-fed is a small price to pay for their help. Plus, I don't want them to start thinking I only keep them around for the cheap labor (just kidding, Mom and Dad!).

So, this weekend, I made a meal of yummy vegetable pasta salad, grilled corn-on-the-cob with a little lime butter, and London Broil marinated and seasoned in the Montreal style and cooked to medium over slow-burning charcoal. But to me, no meal is complete without something sweet at the end. I needed to whip up dessert quick, and also had fresh, plump, richly indigo blueberries on hand.

I decided to make this delicious Blueberry Buckle. I found the recipe in the Ginsberg's Cookbook that celebrates the company's 100th anniversary (Ginsberg's Foods was one of my clients, and I assisted them in the planning and publicity of their 100th anniversary celebration. Hi Nancy and David!!). The recipe is so easy, and the results are divine (this was my first buckle, and I think it turned out great).

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Dot's Blueberry Buckle

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 cup fresh blueberries*

Crumb Topping (recipe follows)

Mix dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl blend sugar and butter until creamy; then add egg. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk to egg mixture.** Fold in blueberries, batter will be thick. Pour batter into round greased cake pan. Equally distribute crumb topping over cake batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. This recipe doubles easily.

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Crumb Topping

1/2 cup sugar***

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon****

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup butter, softened

Using a pastry cutter, blend ingredients.

*I think you could use frozen blueberries for this, but allow them to thaw and drain before use. Too much liquid will make this buckle heavy and soggy

**When alternating wet and dry ingredients, be sure to always incorporate dry ingredients last. This ensures the smoothest batter.

***I used brown sugar in this recipe, just because I could :-)

****I also doubled the cinnamon, again, just because.

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I think this is best served warm with a dollop (or two... or four) of homemade sweetened whipped cream. I add a little vanilla to mine. This buckle is very reminiscent of a light and airy blueberry muffin, but the crumb topping sweetens it to dessert level.

Ever had a "buckle" before? Do you prefer simple Americana desserts like this, or sweets that are more complex and indulgent?

Sundays on the Sunporch: Streusel Cupcakes

It's always nice to have one day a week to just bum around, isn't it? I think that is what Sundays are for. Wake up. Maybe change out of your jammies. Read the paper. Spend time with the ones you love. So on Sundays at Silly Goose Farm, Dave and I are hanging out with the kiddos on the kitchen sunporch. And since I have tons of cookbooks to test and recipes to try, I've decided to wake up a little earlier on Sundays and try a new, tasty morsel for us to enjoy.

The first recipe in this series comes from everyone's favorite domestic diva... the one, the only, Marthaaaa Steeewaart! (just say it as if you're the announcer at a professional wrestling match - you'll get the idea). We call her "Marfa" around here. For our anniversary, Dave gave me the Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book. I couldn't wait to try all the delicious (and adoreable!) recipes, and though the Streusel Cupcake option was perfect for Sunday brunch on the sunporch.
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Streusel Cupcakes
(Makes 24)*

2 1/2 cups all-purpse flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour cream
Streusel Topping (see recipe below)
Milk Glaze (see recipe below)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Stir in vanilla by hand. Add flour mixture and sour cream; stir until just combined.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups. Sprinkle half the topping over cupcakes, gently pressing it into the batter. Sprinkle evenly with remaining topping. Bake, rotating tins halfway though, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.** Transfer tins to wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

4. To finish, place cupcakes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; drizzle evenly with milk glaze. Glazed cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.
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Streusel Topping
(Makes enough for 24 cupcakes)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

Whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt; cut in the butter using a pastry blender, your fingertips, or two table knives until combined but still crumbly. Refrigerate 30 minutes before using.
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Milk Glaze
(Makes enough for 24 cupcakes)

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted***
3 tablespoons milk

Whisk together ingredients until smooth. Use immediately.

*I used a larger muffin tin, so I ended up with 12 cupcakes. I thought this was the perfect serving size for a light, quick breakfast or brunch option. However, if I was serving this at a more formal brunch, I would stick with the standard cupcake size.

**I ended up baking these little buggers for closer to 30 minutes, since they were the bigger size. BTW - I'm sure Marfa has endless cake testers at her disposal, and I'm sure they're all gold-plated, but I use toothpicks or wooden skewers, and those work just fine.

***I though the glaze was a little thin, so I added 1/4 cup more confectioners' sugar. I think adding a 1 tablespoon of coffee or maple syrup to the glaze would be a really nice addition, in which case reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon.

I can't wait to dig up more recipes and continue this tradition. Of course, dear friends, you are always invited to come join us. We would love to have you!

What do you do on Sunday mornings? Is there another day of the week that is your "relaxation" day? I would love to hear!