Jasmine-infused Biscotti

My first encounter with biscotti was on my trip to Florence in 2007. Enjoying the beautiful late afternoon wandering around Florence's ancient streets, I stopped at a little cafe and ordered a pot of Earl Grey tea and two biscotti. Also known as cantuccini, these twice-baked cookies certainly satisfied my sweet tooth. Traditionally made with almonds, I have experimented over the years adding different nuts and dried fruit.

The following recipe is one of my favorites - steeping the dried fruit in strong Jasmine tea before chopping them into small pieces adds that extra special flavor. I like to try different dried fruit and have used dried cherries, apricots, cranberries and pistachios for this batch.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs, divided
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup of dried fruit (tart cherries, apricots and cranberries)
2 tbsp loose Jasmine tea

• Preheat oven to 350° F and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
• Place whole dried fruit in a bowl. In a separate bowl prepare Jasmine tea infusion by pouring 1 cup of boiling water of tea leaves. Let steep for a few minutes and strain the hot tea through a fine sieve into the bowl with fruit. Discard tea leaves. Allow mixture to infuse for 10 minutes. Drain fruit and preserve liquid. Chop fruit into small pieces and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• In a separate bowl whisk together 2 eggs and one egg yolk reserving the remaining egg white in a small bowl. Add vanilla and almond extracts and 2-3 tbsp reserved Jasmine tea to the egg mixture.
• Pour egg mixture into the flour mixture and, using a wooden spoon, stir to combine. Keep adding small amounts of Jasmine tea if the dough is too stiff to handle. Add chopped up fruit and knead to combine (I use my hands for this last step).
• Lightly flour a baking sheet, divide dough into four parts and shape each part into a log. Place on lined baking sheet and brush with the reserved beaten egg white.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
• On a cutting board cut each log with a serrated knife diagonally into 1/2-inch slices.
• Return slices to the lined cookie sheet, bake for 7 minutes on one side, flip cookies over and bake for another 7 minutes. Place on wire rack and let cool completely.

These are hard cookies - they are delicious dipped into tea or vin santo. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Delicious Apple Cake

Who doesn't like apple cake? Apple cake is definitely one of the most popular cakes in Germany. Having grown up in that country I have certainly eaten my share of them - and there are plenty of different recipes to choose from. I am partial to one recipe in particular which comes from an old cookbook my grandmother used. I have made very few changes to the original recipe from "Dr. Oetker: Backen macht Freude".

Dough:

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 small eggs
a pinch of salt
zest of one organic lemon
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
5 medium-size apples, peeled, quartered and cored. Crisscross top of apple quarters with sharp knife.

Glaze:
1 tsp clear gelatin powder
2 tbsp hot water
2 tbsp apricot jam
powdered sugar if desired

• Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a 10-inch cake pan thoroughly.
• Cream butter with a handheld mixer and gradually add sugar, one egg at a time, salt and lemon zest. Mix until your dough is light and well mixed, 2-3 minutes.
• Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon together and add to butter mixture. Stir until mixed and pour batter into greased cake pan.
• Arrange apple quarters in concentric circles on dough.
• Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Remove from oven.

Prepare glaze:
Dissolve gelatin powder in hot water and add apricot jam. Stir until well mixed. Brush still hot cake with glaze. If desired, serve with powdered sugar on top.

French Meringue with White Chocolate and Raspberry Puree Filling

I am always on the lookout for unusual and sophisticated recipes, especially when it comes to baking. Having grown up in Europe I prefer the European style of pastries and desserts. While browsing through The Shaggy Ram, an interior design store in Middleburg, VA, I came across a nice selection of unusual travel and entertaining books. One of them in particular caught my attention - Sweet Paris by Michael Paul is a tribute to Parisian pastries and desserts. Michael Paul's collection of recipes and his stunning photography make this a truly amazing book. Looking at his beautiful photos you can just imagine yourself ordering a Chausson aux Pommes and a steaming pot of tea in one of the many excellent cafes and tea houses in Paris.

I couldn't resist and bought a copy for myself. Last week I tried his Meringues Modernes which are two meringues sandwiched together with a white chocolate and raspberry puree filling - delicious and pretty to look at just in time for Valentine's Day.

Marmorkuchen - German Marble Cake

I can't deny it - I do have a sweet tooth and I blame my childhood in Germany for it. Growing up with two grandmothers who were excellent cooks certainly had a great influence on me. My paternal grandmother was famous for her baked goods. I still remember birthday celebrations at her house with all of my grandfather's siblings and their spouses attending. Depending on the number of guests, it was expected that she'd prepare at least four to six different cakes. She was particularly known for her moist and light yeast sheet cakes with seasonal fruit. Once the baking was done, the cakes were covered with clean dishtowels and stored in the unheated guest bedroom. Shortly before the guests arrived my grandmother would bring the cakes back into the kitchen, cut them into slices and arrange them on beautiful china serving platters. I must have eaten at least three slices of my favorites each time!

One of my favorite cakes is a very simple German marble cake - it reminds me of Saturday afternoon "Kaffee und Kuchen" (coffee and cake) which was a ritual in our family (and not only on the weekend). Fresh eggs and butter, high quality cocoa powder and some rum extract make this a satisfying cake to serve with coffee or tea.

This cake freezes well - I like it so much that I freeze individual pieces to take to work as my afternoon snack.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 fresh eggs at room temperature
1 tsp rum extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
5 tsp baking powder
16 tbsp milk (or more, if needed)
4-5 tbsp natural cocoa powder (24% butterfat)
powdered sugar for dusting

• Preheat oven to 375° F and butter a bundt pan.
• Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl with a handheld mixer. Add one egg at a time beating well after each addition. Add rum extract.
• Combine flour and baking powder and add to butter mixture alternating with the milk. You want the batter to be light and easily manageable.
• Pour about 1/3 of batter into buttered bundt pan.
• Add cocoa powder to rest of batter in bowl, mix well and pour into bundt pan. Run fork through batter creating swirls.
• Place onto the middle rack in oven and bake for about 40 - 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven, let cool for 20 minutes and unmold. Let cool completely and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Buckwheat Pancakes with Apple-Cranberry Compote and Ricotta Creme

It was a cold Sunday morning and I was looking forward to a leisurely breakfast with a steaming pot of Earl Grey tea and my newspaper. Should I have my regular bowl of hot oatmeal or was there enough time to prepare something special? I decided to try out a recipe for buckwheat pancakes served with an apple-cranberry compote and a ricotta creme sweetened with Sicilian honey.

Ingredients:
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp wheat germ
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp organic sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten

• Preheat oven to 175° F.
• Mix together flours, baking powder and soda, salt, wheat germ, chia seeds, cinnamon and sugar.
• Whisk in buttermilk, canola oil, the two lightly beaten eggs, and let stand for a few minutes.
• Heat pancake griddle and spoon about 2 tbsp batter for each pancake. Flip when first bubbles appear. 
• Keep warm in preheated oven.

Apple-cranberry compote
Wash, core and chop into 1-inch pieces one Gala and one Granny Smith apple. Place into saucepan and add 1/2 cup frozen cranberries, 1 tbsp organic sugar, and 2 tbsp lemon juice. Add 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon if desired. Cook on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes or until fruit is soft. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Ricotta Creme
Mix 1/2 cup of whole milk ricotta cheese with 1 tbsp softened Sicilian honey.

To serve, place several pancakes on plate and serve with apple-cranberry compote. Top with a dollop of ricotta creme.

Serves 2-3

Baci di Dama - Lady's Kisses

Intrigued by a post on David Lebovitz's food blog I tried out Baci di Dama - Lady's kisses and have since added them to my list of favorite holiday cookies. The recipe mentioned in the post is by Terresa Murphy of La Cucina di Terresa.

Baci di Dama originate from the Piemonte region of northwestern Italy, an area surrounded on three sides by the Alps. Its capital, Torino, is known for its chocolate and hazelnuts which are considered to be among the best in the world.

Baci di Dama are two small hazelnut cookies held together by a layer of dark chocolate.
I used all-purpose flour and bittersweet chocolate when I made them a couple of weeks ago. They are truly delicious. I keep them in a cookie tin in the refrigerator so that the chocolate doesn't get soft.

Baci di Dama as part of my Holiday Tea offering

German Christmas Stollen

Stollen, a German Christmas fruit cake, is one of my fondest memories of my childhood in Germany. I remember my grandmother and mother baking huge "striezel" (often used as a synonym for stollen) the first week of December. Both would spend hours in the kitchen preparing ingredients, chopping nuts and cleaning raisins.

Many traditional German recipes call for currants and raisins, both candied lemon and orange peel and very often marzipan. I prefer to use only currants and equal amounts of lemon and orange peel.  Since I am not a fan of marzipan I always use my mother's recipe which doesn't call for it.

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp rum extract
1/8 tsp ground cardamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs
6 oz butter, cold, cut into small pieces
8 oz Quark (similar to farmer's cheese, available at German gourmet food stores and at some Whole Foods markets)
1 cup currants, cleaned
4.5 oz ground almonds
1 oz each of candied orange and lemon peel

• Preheat oven to 500° F, then reduce heat to 375° F.
• Mix flour and baking powder and sift into a large bowl. Make a well in the center.
• Add sugar, vanilla extract, salt, almond and rum extracts, cardamon, nutmeg and two eggs. Use some of the flour from the side of the bowl and knead everything into a thick dough.
• Place butter, Quark, currants, candied lemon and orange peel on top of dough and knead everything together.You may add a little bit of flour if the dough is too sticky.
• Divide the dough into two balls and shape each ball into a log.
• Place both stollen on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
• Bake at 375° F for 50-60 minutes. Brush hot stollen with 4 tbsp of melted butter and immediately sift powdered sugar over top to cover completely. Let cool.
• To store, wrap stollen tightly in aluminum foil and store in refrigerator. It also freezes well wrapped in aluminum foil.

Lebkuchenkipferl

What would the holiday season be without homemade Christmas cookies? Helping my grandmother and mother bake a variety of cookies was something I eagerly anticipated every year. Scents of cinnamon, anise, nutmeg and cloves wafting through the air signaled the beginning of this special time of the year. My favorites were spritz cookies dipped on one end into dark chocolate, vanilla kipferl, cinnamon stars, and speculoos. No matter where I have lived since I left Germany, I have always baked at least two or three of my childhood favorites for the holidays. The following recipe is an adaptation of the traditional vanilla kipferl, using a a gingerbread spice blend (Lebkuchengewuerz) to give it a beautiful gingerbread flavor.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp gingerbread spice mix
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
 3/4 cup ground almonds

• Preheat oven to 350° F and line two cookie sheets with baking paper. 
• Measure 1/2 tsp of the gingerbread spice mix and set aside.
• In a medium-sized bowl mix butter, sugar and remaining spice mix until well blended. Add sifted flour and ground almonds, mix well, and place into refrigerator for 30 minutes. 
• Remove dough from refrigerator. Using 1 tbsp dough at a time, form crescent shapes and place one inch apart and baking sheet.
• Bake for approximately 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. 
• Take 1/2 tsp of the reserved gingerbread spice mix and mix with 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar. Sift mixture over still warm kipferl. Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.  

To make your own spice blend, try the following recipe:
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cardamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground anise seed
1/8 tsp ground fennel seed

Mix thoroughly. Makes about 2 tbsp.

Cinnamon and Cardamon Almond Macaroons

This German macaroon recipe (not to be confused with French macaroons) comes from an old cookbook which my grandmother used all of her life.

I adapted the recipe a bit, adding cinnamon and cardamon which add just a bit of holiday flavor.

Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
5 oz fine white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp almond extract
6 oz ground almonds (almond meal)
2 oz flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamon
whole hazelnuts for decoration

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until very stiff. 
• Slowly add sugar, vanilla and almond extracts to egg whites. 
• Mix flour, almond meal, cinnamon and cardamon and gently fold into egg white mixture.
• Line baking sheet with baking paper and place small ball egg white mixture on sheet (I used a melon baller to measure. 
• Place on one hazelnut in the middle of each cookie.
• Bake for about 30 minutes, rotating the sheet after 15 minutes. 
• Let cool completely and store in cookie tin.

Makes 30 - 40 macaroons.

Pumpkin Muffins

Autumnal Tableau

Autumn has finally made its way to Washington, D.C. After one last really hot weekend, temperatures have cooled down and leaves are changing colors. Residents in our "Little City" are starting to bring out their fall decorations and you can even see the occasional spider web and scarecrow announcing that Halloween is just around the corner. Pumpkins, apples and a wide variety of fall vegetables and fruit are bountiful in our local Farmer's Market. Tasting fresh apple cider and looking at the colorful display I decided to bake my first batch of pumpkin muffins. For the photo below I used only pumpkin puree, a subsequent batch had fresh cranberries added to the batter just before filling the paper cups.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

fresh cranberries (optional)

• Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
• In a small bowl whisk together flour and baking powder. 
• In a separate bowl combine pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, ground spices, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
• Add flour mixture to pumpkin puree and stir to combine. If you are using cranberries add them gently to the batter now.
• Fill batter into prepared muffin pan lined with paper cups and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins

Chekich - Uzbek Bread Stamps

During one of my trips to Uzbekistan I found these interesting stamps – they turned out to be bread stamps used to stamp patterns on flat breads. Chekich, as they are called locally, are most often made out of plum wood. I bought mine in Bukhara and Samarkand, but you will see them in bazaars all over the country.

A chekich made out of plum wood which is showing its grain beautifully. Plum wood is one of the finest European woods and is recognizable by its beautiful dark brown color.

The designs on the stamps range from geometric shapes for floral pattern.

Since I don’t bake flat breads, I have found another use for them – I use them to decorate my shortbread before baking it. Just make sure that you dip the stamp lightly into flour before pressing it into the dough. To clean, use a small brush and remove any traces of dough and flour. Oil the wooden part of the stamps regularly (I use olive oil) so that the wood doesn't dry out. 


And here are two variations on a basic shortbread recipe:

Ingredients:

Rosemary Shortbread

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup vanilla extract
1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

• Preheat oven to 325 degree F.
• Beat together butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Gradually add flour until mixture is well combined. Add finely chopped rosemary.
• On a floured surface, roll out dough until 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. With a cookie cutter cut the dough into rounds. If desired, use a cookie stamp (or a chekich) to decorate your shortbread.
• Place on an ungreased baking sheet (I use a Silpat) and place into oven.
• Bake for 20 - 30 minutes until bottoms are golden brown and the top is light in color. The baking time will depend on your oven. Please check regularly so that you don't burn your cookies.
• Cool cookies on wire racks.

They are best eaten fresh, but can be stored in an airtight container for a day or two.

Makes 20 cookies


Variation:
Use the same resume but replace the rosemary with one tsp chopped fresh lavender blossoms.

Buttery Hazelnut-Fig Biscotti

Twice-baked cookies known as biscotti originated in the Italian city of Prato. During my travels through Italy I had the opportunity to sample different varieties of these hard cookies. The traditional recipe included pine nuts and almonds, however, there are many different versions today using different nuts, dried fruit and spices. In Tuscany these little cookies are referred to as "cantuccini" and are traditionally served with vin santo. Since the biscotti are hard, they are usually accompanied by a drink (vin santo, cappuccino, latte or tea).

I have collected quite a few biscotti recipes, but the following is one of my favorite. It is slightly adapted from the October 2011 issue of Food and Wine:

Ingredients:

2 cups hazelnuts
14 ounces figs
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 degree F. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 12-14 minutes in the middle of the oven. Let cool, then transfer the nuts to a kitchen towel and rub off as much of the skins as possible. Transfer the nuts to a cutting board and chop coarsely.

2. Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, cover the figs with water and microwave at high power for 1 minute, just until the figs are plump. Drain well, trim off the stem ends and slice the figs 1/8 inch thick.

3. In a bowl beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until combined. Beat in the eggs. Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt in another bowl and add to the butter mixture and beat until combined. Add the nuts and figs.
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to a work surface and roll into six 10-by-1 1/2-inch logs. Arrange the logs on the baking sheets and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and firm. Let the logs cool for 15 minutes.

4. On a work surface slice the logs with a serrated knife on the diagonal 2/3 inch thick. Arrange the biscotti cut sides up on the baking sheets and bake for about 9 minutes. Turn over and bake for another 9 minutes until lightly browned. Let the biscotti cool, then serve or store.

I store mine in an old metal cookie tin lined with parchment paper. They are best eaten within 10 days.