polenta crescents

raya cookies project
recipe #3

okay, if you like lemons and crunchy cookies, then this is the one for you. i particularly like the lemony taste the cookies have, it's somewhat refreshing, because i usually associate cookies with something chocolatey and sweet...but this one, has a very mild sugar taste nothing too overpowering.

will i make it again? good question, hmmm...i don't think so. why? mainly because the dough is a little bit of a challenge to handle. as you know polenta is really, really gooey, like mush and even after refrigerating the dough for 24 hours, you are still left with sticky fingers. in the end, i had to fill the dough into a piping bag, pipe it into a straight line before making the shape. lots of work = me no like. heheheh...

but i might do it again for the taste...and let the robot handle all the difficult bits. hehehe...or i'll try to figure out on how to make it easier. well, you guys try it and lemme know kay?

here's the recipe.
ingredients:
115g (4 oz) unsalted butter
100g (3½ oz) icing sugar
2 egg yolks
grated zest of 1 lemon (2 to 3 tsp)
2 tsp vanilla essence
150g (5 oz) plain flour
pinch of baking powder
50g (2 oz) finely ground polenta/cornmeal

the how to:
1)  pre-heat oven to 160°C (325°F/Gas Mark 3).

2)  grease two baking sheets.

3)  beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

4)  add egg yolks, lemon zest and vanilla essence.

5)  in a separate bowl, sift flour and baking powder together and mix in the polenta, add to the butter mixture and mix to a smooth dough.

6)  roll the dough into 1cm (½in) thick lengths and cut into 10cm (4in) pieces. *alaaaaa...ni yang tak syok ni!!!* shape them into crescents and space them 5cm (2in) apart on the baking sheets.**

7)  bake for 15 minutes until pale in color.

8)  cool on wire racks.

**because it was too gooey, i decided to refrigerate the dough for 24 hours. tu pun tak boleh gak... :-s

recipe source: 500 cookies by philippa vanstone

a personal favorite...

revisited.

if you look at the watermark on the picture above, it says 2009. well, i think that's how long i've been using this recipe. (macam dah seratus tahun. hahahahaha)  i could've taken another picture of the freshly baked biscottis from today. i did, i took it because of an experiment that i tried on the biscotti dough. hehehehe...



Exhibit A

you see, if you make it according to the recipe, you will have to shape it into two flat loaves before baking it. once done, you need to slice the loaves so that you can bake the sliced biscottis again. todaaaaay, i thought maybe i should put the dough in a loaf pan and see if, when i cut them up, they will all be the same shape and not have the tapered bits at the end.

so i did that. the best part about putting the dough in the loaf pan is that when i cut them up, they all have the same size. the not so best part about it is that, my roomate does not like it. he says it's untraditional. haha! to show you guys what he means, please refer to exhibit A. the top image is from the loaf that i put in the loaf pan and the bottom one is made the traditional way. he doesn't like the straight untraditional looking biscotti. okaylah tartle...i will  make 'em traditional for you from now on, okesss?

oh, before that, aeons ago i made a step-by-step pictorial on how to make these. here's where.

right, shall we?

ingredients:

300g (10oz) plain flour

200g (7 oz) caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

3 eggs - i use grade A

2 tsp vanilla essence

100g (3½ oz) whole blanched almonds

the how to
1)  pre-heat oven to 150°C (300°F/Gas mark 2).
2)  grease and flour two baking sheets - i just use parchment paper.

3)  mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

4)  whisk the eggs and vanilla essence together then stir into the dry ingredients and then add almonds.

5)  the dough WILL BE sticky. don't worry.

6)  divide the dough between the baking sheets and shape into two flat loaves about 25cm (10in) long and 5cm (2in) wide.

7)  bake for 35-40 minutes until pale golden brown.  remove from oven onto a chopping board and immediately slice into thin pieces about 1cm (½ in) wide.

8)  lay the slices back onto the baking sheets and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.  once done, turn over each slice and cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes, or until the slices are golden brown.

9)  remove from oven and allow to cool.

10) store in an airtight container. the biscottis will keep for a couple of weeks...if not devoured immediately. hehehe...

there are also variations for this recipe.

a)  you can make lemon & pistachio biscotti, by substituting the vanilla essence with the grated zest of a lemon (2 to 3 teaspoons) and pistachios for the almonds. - have yet to try.

b)  chocolate chip & raisin biscotti - with the basic dough, substitute the almonds with 75g (3 oz) raisins and 75g (3 oz) plain chocolate chips. - tried this once, but not a favorite.

c)  fig & fennel biscotti - same thing, prepare the basic dough and substitute half the almonds with 75g (3 oz) chopped dried figs and the vanilla essence with 2 tsp of fennel seeds. - also haven't tried.

well? anyone game to try any of the variations? awww...come on! take the challenge. yes?

recipe source: 500 cookies by philippa vanstone