gingerbread biscuits

Today was an overcast wintery saturday and spent the morning with M & m making, decorating and of course eating gingerbread biscuits. M & M are quite the cooks, M is working out how to read and follow a recipe, little m loved the challenge of rolling and cutting out biscuits. Decorating and eating were of course the highlights. I used this Taste. com recipe http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/21346/gingerbread+men. It was a bit dry and crumbly so i added an extra tablespoon of melted butter, and when making the icing i added only a portion of the egg white so the icing wasn't too runny. All and all quite a nice way to pass some time....

Ingredients

• 150g butter, chopped
• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, sifted
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger, sifted
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, sifted
• 3 cups plain flour, sifted
• milk chocolate bits, to decorate

• Royal icing

• 1 eggwhite
• 1 1/4 cups pure icing sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Method

1. Place butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat. Stir in bicarbonate of soda. Transfer to a large, heatproof bowl. Cool.

2. Stir in egg, ginger, mixed spice, baking powder and flour until combined. Divide dough in half. Shape into discs. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.

3. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease 3 baking trays. Line with baking paper. Roll 1 dough disc between 2 sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Using a 7cm gingerbread man cutter, cut shapes from dough, re-rolling dough scraps. Place, 2cm apart, on prepared trays. Repeat with remaining pastry disc.

4. Bake, 1 tray at a time, for 8 minutes or until just firm to touch. Stand on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Make icing: Using a fork, beat eggwhite in a bowl until foamy. Gradually beat in icing sugar until combined. Stir in lemon juice. Spoon icing into a snap-lock bag. Snip off 1 corner. Decorate gingerbread men with icing and chocolate bits. Set aside for 20 minutes or until set. Serve.

harira - my favourite winter soup

This recipe is taken from the Moro cookbook and it is one i cook with some frequency in winter. I play around with it according to what we have in the fridge, the kids prefer it without the fresh coriander and lemon and like to add yogurt. If i don't have any chana dhal I add a tin of chick peas. However its made it seems the basis of lamb cooked with spices is deliciously warming. enjoy!

350g neck of lamb in 3 -4 pieces, a shank or some off cuts will surfice

2 ltrs cold water

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 glaric cloves, finely chopped

3 celery sticks, finely chopped

a pinch of saffron strands

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1//2 teaspoon turmeric

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

nutmeg (5 grates on a fine grater)

2 large bunches fresh coriander, washed and chopped

100g small green lentils

120 chana dhal (small, split and skinned chickpeas)

1 dessert spoon tomato puree

3 rounded dessertspoons plain flour on fine semolina flour slaked in 50ml water

juice of 1 lemon

50g unsalted butter (optional)

1 lemon quatered

sea salt and black pepper

Put the lamb into a large saucepan with the water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins, skimming off and scum or fat as it appears. Add the onion, garlic, celery, saffron, cinnamon, tumeric, ginger, nutmeg, salt and pepper as well as half the chopped coriander. Cook for half an hour before adding the lentils and chana dahl, then simmer for another half hour. Take out the meat and remove from the bone. Return the meat to the pot, along with the tomato paste, flour mixture and lemon juice. check the seasoning stir in the butter and extra coriander.

Fresh fig cake

Its a bit late in the season but i managed to find enough figs on our tree to make this recipe and it was ...... awesome!!! I had another look a our tree today and i think i'll have enough figs to make another one! Can't wait.

Fresh Fig Cake recipe

Ingredients

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup non-fat yoghurt

2 large eggs

1 cup unsifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

12 large fresh figs

Recipe

* Preheat oven to 180 C. Lightly grease 23 cm springform pan.

* Beat sugar and butter until well mixed.

* Beat in yoghurt and eggs until blended.

* Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in flour, baking powder and cinnamon.

* Spread batter into greased pan.

* Cut stem end off each fig and cut each fig lengthwise in half.

* Arrange figs, alternating cut surfaces and skin sides up, around rim of pan on top of batter.

* Arrange remaining figs in centre of cake batter. Bake 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cake near centre comes out clean.

* Cool cake in pan on wire rack to lukewarm. Loosen side of pan from cake and remove pan rim.

* Place cake on serving plate and serve warm.

Quince Tart with Sour Cream Pastry

I wish i wasn't so interested in making great desserts and cakes. Its the eating, which is integral part of the experience, that really causes the problems! And no sadly i don't seem to be able to stop at tasting. If you have success making this recipe you will understand why.

You need to prepare three or fours quinces by peeling and slicing them and then cooking them for three hours with some sugar on the stove top for three - four hours or baking them in the oven for the same amount of time. They should come out a beautiful red colour.

I use Maggie Bear's sour cream pastry recipe for the base.

200g chilled unsalted butter, chopped into small pieces

250g plain flour

1/2 cup sour cream

Put butter and flour into the bowl of the food processor, then pulse until mixture resemble bread crumbs. Add the sour cream and pulse again until the dough just forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for 15-20mins. Roll out the dough on some baking paper and line a 20cm tart time with a removable base. Chill the pastry case for 20min. To blind bake, preheat the oven to 200 c. Line the pastry case with foil, then cover with pastry weights. Blind bake for 15mins, then remove the foil and pastry weights and bake for another 5mins.

Cover the pastry base with quince paste or plum jam (or something similar) then cover the base well with the pieces of quince. Bake for 30mins approx and serve with cream. I was a bit short on quinces for the last one i made and i added some preserved peaches.

porcini, chicken ball soup

This recipe was listed in the Good Weekend magazine not so long ago and i have made it twice. It wouldn't be hard to adapt it to an asian style soup by omitting the parmesan replacing it with fresh coriander and exchanging rice or soba noodles for pasta. It calls for porcini mushrooms but i happened to use shitaki the other night and it was still great. It's perfect fodder for the cold nights ahead.

Porcini Chicken Ball and Noodle Soup

size 14 chicken skinned with breast removed and reserved

2 brown onions, cut in half

2 carrots

2 celery sticks

10 sprigs of parsley

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp pepper corns

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

extra virgin olive oil

3 shallots, finely diced

3 cloves of garlic, finely sliced

30g porcini mushrooms soaked in 2 tbsp boiling water

3 sprigs thyme

80g fresh breadcrumbs

30g grated parmesan

3 eggs

150g broken spaghetti

120g frozen peas

1 lemon, juiced

to make stock, place chicken carcass ( with legs attached) in a large pot, along with onion, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns, and enough cold water to cover. Bring to the simmer, add 2tsp salt and simmer for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, add a splash of oil to a small pot over med heat and fry shallots and garlic for 2 mins. Add drained porcini and thyme and cook for 2 minutes.

Chop breast meat into small dice and place in a food processor, pulsing until you have mince. Combine chicken mince with cooled porcini mixture, breadcrumbs, parmesan, s and p and 1 egg. Roll mixture in small balls about the size of 20cent piece across.

Strain stock (about 1.5 ltrs) into a clean pot, setting aside chicken carcass, and bring to a simmer. Skim any excess oil and bits off the top. Add broken pasta, simmer 6 mins, then add chicken balls. Pull meat from chicken legs and chop, then add to stock and simmer for 4 mins. Season with s and p and add peas. Whisk 2 eggs and lemon juice together and add to soup. Bring almost back to the boil and serve.

Two ways with pears

Lately i have been having my way with pears!! Thanks to a generous donation from Ali and Blair's Maldon orchard i have had plenty of tasty fruit to play with. First I tried making the Belgian Pear recipe below. It asks for whole pears but i had to work around a little bit of codling moth so mine were cut into pieces. There were some advantages to working this way as it shortened the cooking time by half (3-4 hours as apposed to 6!) but i imagine whole pears would make quite a spectacle when served as they turn a honey pink colour. These pears were delicious, beautifully textured and oh so flavour some if served with a little or a lot of cream! I think i would double the recipe next time as they make a special preserved dessert option to have on hand.

I also tried making the Ginger and Pear Preserves. These turned out well despite or perhaps because I cut back on the sugar.

The other recipe i tried was an upside down pear cake however, this was not as satisfying as i hoped because the syrup leaked out making a mess in the bottom of my oven. I made it in a quick release tin lined with baking paper but it really must be made in a tin without any seams. I seemed to remember making this mistake before duhh!! Sorry too despondent to include the recipe:(

Belgian Pears recipe

Ingredients:

2 kilos of pears

500g of white granulated sugar

150 ml of white wine vinegar

Method:

Wash and peel the pears. Leaving the stalk on.

Melt the sugar in the vinegar and any pear juice in a large heavy bottomed saucepan.

Add the pears and simmer gently with a lid tight fitting lid for three hours.

Remove the lid and simmer for a further three hours with the lid off.

Pot into sterilised jars and seal in a Bain Marie.

Test the seals when cold before labelling and storing.

N.B. You need 2 kilos of pears. 1 kilo doesn’t make enough juice if you are going to bottle them.

Thanks to the www.cottagesmallholder.com/

Ginger pear preserves

Ingredients:

3 cups granulated sugar

3 cups water

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated

2 lbs pears, cored, peeled, and quartered

3 tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped (candied ginger)

5 or 6 half-pint jars and lids

Preparation:

Sterilize the half-pint jars and lids and set them aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the sugar, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, and fresh ginger to a boil. Lower the temperature so the mixture is simmering, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Add the quartered pears and crystallized ginger to the saucepan and continue cooking for 30 minutes, until the preserves thicken and coat a spoon.

Pack the pears and gingered syrup into the sterilized jars, and seal in a boiling water canner.

This gingered pear preserves recipe makes 5 to 6 half-pint jars.

Really must try triple ginger pecan biscotti

This recipe has travelled around our neighborhood and having sampled at Rina's house a couple of times I finally managed to get a copy the recipe. For lovers of ginger its worth making a double batch because believe me the biscuit tin won't stay in the cupboard for long. Sorry i can't credit the origins of this recipe but its lovingly written with lots of attention to detail so you cant go wrong. One tip - you can replace walnuts with the pecans.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch of fresh ground black pepper

5 tablespoons softened unsalted butter (if you only have salted perhaps reduce the amount of salt)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 Large eggs

1 tablespoon peeled and finely grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger

1 cup pecans

1. Position two racks near the centre of the oven and preheat the oven to 160. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

2. in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, salt and pepper. set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until well blended about 1min. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping dowm the sides of the bowl as necessary. beat in the fresh ginger and vanilla extract. At a low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until blended. stir in the crystallized ginger and pecans and mix until combined.

4. Scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface and gather it into a disk (the dough will be quite sticky). Divide the dough in half. sprinkle the surface with more flour and shape each piece into a 12 inch log. Transfer the logs to one of the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 3 inches apart (the logs will spread). With the heel of your hand, flatten the logs slightly, until they are 2 inches wide. Place the baking sheet on the upper oven racks and bake for 35mins, or until the logs just start to brown lightly. Set the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool for 10mins. Reduce the oven temp to 150.

5. Slide a pancake turner under each log to loosen if from the parchment paper. carefully transfer the logs to a cutting surface. Line the baking sheet with clean parchment paper. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange the slices cut side down and 1/2 inch apart on the two baking trays. Bake for an additional 18 -22 minutes switching the position of the baking sheets halfway through the baking (perhaps even turn the biscuits over) until the biscotti are dry and barely beginning to colour around the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Tomato Sauce for snags 'n stuff

Once you try this recipe you will never bother with store bought sauce again. Its pretty straight forward - throw it all in a pot, cook, wizz and bottle. I make it around this time most years, I keep aside sauce bottles during the year so i when its time i am ready to go. Usually I half the quantities as this seems to make enough to keep us supplied for the year. Thanks once again to Edmonds Sure to Rise Cookery Book.

Tomato Sauce

3.6 Tomatoes

1 litre Vinegar

125gms Salt

1kg Sugar

1 tsp pepper corns, 1tsp Whole Allspice, 25g Cloves in a muslin bag ( i make one by cutting a pice of muslin, place spices in the middle and bundle up with a piece of string that i then tie to the handle of the pot)

1kg Apples

6 Large Onions

1tsp of Cayenne Pepper (if a hot sauce is desired I omit this for ours)

Cut tomatoes, apples and onions. put all ingredients into a heavy based large pot. Boil for 3 hours. Strain through a colander (i just wizz is up with the bar mix) and bottle in sterilized bottles ( place them in the oven 150 for 15mins should be fine).

spicy plum jam and spicy plum chutney!!!

Recently i was quietly thrilled to be invited into the secret garden at the bottom of our road. i walk past on the way to the tram and often wondered how i could gain access to the bounty that I could catch a glimpse of behind the tall wooden fence. My neighbour Nancy dropped by recently and we compared notes on the number of plants going missing from the nature strip or in her case front yard when she mentioned the plums ripening in the garden down the road. It turns out that the block is owned by another neighbour and they allow Nancy and her husband to house their chooks, grow some vegies and pick the fruit etc. The next day Mariana and I were guided through the hole in the fence by one of Nancy's daughter and had some fun filling a bag of little plums. While they weren't much good for eating they made perfect fodder for jam and chutney. I had a feeling there were better recipes than the British inspired standard 1:1 kilo fruit to kilo sugar and came across this recipe at Taste.com which i tried. Vito describes it as for mature tastes so if you need help determining if you are grown up or not give it a go - it is subtly laced with Cinnamon, Annice and black pepper and its delicious!! I also made a spicy plum chutney recipe which i think could be similar to an apricot one i tried before christmas. I will let you know if i manage to track the apricot version because it was the best chutney ever!!! (this is a subtle message to remind my contacts to pursue the recipe for me!)

Plum Jam

Ingredients

• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp anise seeds
• 6 cloves
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 2 dried bay leaves, crumbled
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 1.25kg white sugar
• 2 kg plums (try amber or blood plums), quartered, stoned
• 1/3 cup (80ml) lemon juice

Method

1. Place a couple of small saucers in the freezer to chill. Place spices, bay leaves, wine and 1 cup sugar in a large, wide, heavy-based saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave to cool. When cool, strain though a fine sieve over a bowl.

2. Return strained syrup to pan with 1 cup water and plums. Bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer over low-medium heat for 35 minutes.

3. Uncover pan. Add lemon juice and remaining sugar. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil then simmer, uncovered, over medium heat, skimming any scum from top, for 45-50 minutes or until jam jells when tested. To test, place a small spoonful on a chilled saucer then return to freezer for 1 minute. Run your finger through chilled jam; it should be the consistency of honey and wrinkle slightly when pushed. Once at this stage, pour into hot sterilised jars and seal.

Spicy Plum Chutney

Ingredients:

• 8 cups cut up pieces of plums, pits removed, skins left on
• 3 lemons, cut into small pieces, seeds removed
• juice from 3 more lemons
• 1-2 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated (a microplane works great)
• 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 cup water
• 4 cups brown sugar
• Throw everything except the sugar in a sauce pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fruit starts to soften.dd sugar and cook until it thickens to a consistency you like. Soft enough to dip apapadum piece in it is a good goal. Remove cinnamon stick after cooking.
• thanks to www.evilmadscientist.com for this recipe

splendus hibisicus

Shame i didn't take a photo of this earlier in the day, such a beautiful apricot colour. We haven't had many flowering plants in the garden until recently we made room by removing a Wattle that was past its best. We are trying a few native hibiscus as a screen to soften the front fence. This one is call Hibiscus splendens x heterophyllus, not sure if being hybrid disqualifies it from being strictly called a native? Happy to be advised

Sour dough Bread

I had fun making this bread recipe over the weekend. It's quite a long involved process but overall the results were well worth the effort. I am not sure of the origins of this recipe, however the recipe and sourdough starter were given to me by my friend Rina and i believe a friend of hers from Gippsland passed it on to her. I have made my own sour dough starters in the past by adding water to a quantity of flour (whole meal organic best for this) although this one was quite firm more like play dough consistency. i am happy to build up my starter and share if any one is interested.

Sourdough Instructions

Feeding

let starter sit for 1 hour at room temp (20 degrees C)

To 50g starter at 50g flour and 25g water.

mix and briefly knead into a stiff smooth dough

Note do not use tap water as it may kill the starter

Sourdough Recipe

Step 1 6 -8 hrs Friday Morning

Tear off 25g starter and break into pieces

Mix in 50 g flour and 25 g water. Mix until all the flour is absorbed. Knead for 2 mins.

Lightly cover with oil and leave to rise 6-8 hrs ideally at 25 degrees C.

Step 2 6 -8 hrs Friday Afternoon

To the 100 g of starter add 200g flour and 100 g water

mix and knead as for step 1

leave to rise for 6 - 8

Note you can leave up to 20hrs before the next step. leave in the fridge and then bring back to room temp before use.

Step 3 1 + 1+4 hours saturday morning

Tear off 300g of starter

Break into pieces and then add 300g of water (tepid)

Add 400g flour and 12g salt (you can also add 1 dessert sp of sugar to assist yeast)

mix and knead for 5 mins - the dough will be very sticky, you may need to add a little extra flour, try not to add too much

- you can add 150g of dried fruit, nuts etc at this stage

Rest for 20 mins then knead again for 5 - 10 mins

Oil and cover for 1 hr

deflate and give 2 business letter turns and let rise another hour

defate and give 2 business letter turns then let rise 4-5 hrs

Step 4 3 -4 hours Saturday Afternoon

Shape and let rise 3-4 hours in a tin if you are using one

Bake in a pre heated over at 220 degree C for approx 30 mins

to test if cooked take loaf out of the tin and tap on the bottom it should sound hollow if not put it back in the oven.

produce

Our tomatoes are ripening very slowly this year. I am a temperate babe and really do love the coolness and the rain though yearning for a bit more sun to help bring on the zucc's and cuccs.

In between the seemingly endless showers of rain last week we managed to glean some apricots from a tree hanging hanging over the fence down the road. We managed to pick a few kilo before they split and I bottled some for a sunny day!

Spicy Tofu and vegie pilaf

Here's what i had for dinner tonight. If you are not into tofu try substituting it with lamb or chicken.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c long grain brown or white bhasmati rice
• 1 Tbsp cooking oil
• 1 lb firm tofu, drained
• 2 Tbsp tamari or soysauce
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped small
• 1 small zucchini, cubed
• 1/2 red or green pepper, diced
• 1 or 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped or 1/2 c tomatoe puree
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp black mustard seed
• 1 tsp dried basil leaves
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram leaves
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1 - 2 Tbsp minced jalapeno pepper, halved and seeded, or 1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 - 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced, or 1/2 - 1 tsp dried
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 c cashew pieces, toasted in a dry pan or with a little oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 c. water
• 1/4 c. minced cilantro or parsley

Directions:

1. If using brown bhasmati rice, soak 4 - 6 hours, or 1 hour in boiling water
2. Drain (your plants will love the soaking water), rinse 3 times, set aside
3. If using white bhasmati rice, rinse and drain until the water is clear
4. Drain and cut tofu into smallish cubes or slices
5. Marinate in Braggs or soy sauce 15 min - 1 hr
6. Heat 1 Tbsp oil or ghee in a non stick frypan, and lightly brown tofu pieces on 2 sides and set aside (leave this until last for slow cooker or crockpot cooking)
7. Prep veggies
8. Sauté onion add garlic and veggies, (including jalapeno & fresh ginger if you're using) in oil 5- 10 minutes
9. Add remaining spices and herbs, except cilantro, and sauté another two minutes
10. Add rinsed, drained rice, sauté another 2 minutes
11. Add salt, water & tomato puree if using
12. Slow Cooker or Crockpot: Place all in preheated crockpot, cook on low for 1 hour, or 2 hours for brown rice. For the slow cooker, it's better to marinate the tofu ahead, then fry just before before adding to the cooked rice and veg
13. Stove Top: Bring to a boil, cover & simmer 30 min for brown rice, 10 - 15 min for white
14. Remove the bay leaf and cardamom pods, which will be floating on top
15. Gently stir in the tofu, cashews and cilantro or parsley, and cook for 5 - 10 more minutes

Surprisingly good sponge!

I am not sure what prompted it but I recently became interested in trying to cook a sponge cake. Recipes like this one spark memories of learning to cook in my Intermediate School cooking classes. (equivalent of year 5-6 although we had a school that taught these years separate to primary and high school) In class we were taught several different methods for cooking eggs, we started with poaching and moved onto lemon meringue pie, queen cakes and souffles. I must look up my old reports to see who my teacher was and how i was graded (I bet I'll find a comment on how I talked too much or was easily distracted!) I found this sponge recipe on the internet and doubled it to make the enormous stake pictured. The kids enjoyed triple sifting the cornflour not to mentiondevouring the one i made for Vito's birthday. The are eating it like cats or dogs (one of there favorite pass times) because it was too big a piece for them to pick up. However i must find an alternative to the whipped cream, while tasting so good at 45% fat it has got to be bad, bad, bad!!!

Ingredients

2 eggs, separated 
½ cup cornflour 
⅓ cup caster sugar 
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Beat the whites until stiff then slowly add the sugar.

Add the yolks and beat well.

Sift the cornflour, bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar together 3 times.

Fold into the mixture with a metal spoon.

Pour into a greased 20 cm pan and cook for 20 minutes.

Recipe notes

For a chocolate sponge, add 1 and half tablespoons of cocoa to the cornflour mix. Alternati

vely use a gluten free cornflour. The sponge will still rise perfectly every time.

amaretto biscuits

Happy new year and apologies for the lack of posting. I am not much of a christmas cook but to make up for my idleness i wanted to share one of the highlights of christmas this year. Aside from the amazing turkey with a delicious stuffing prepared by brother in law Anthony my lovely sister in law Rita baked these Amaretto biscuits. They were bellissimo! This recipe calls for both bitter and sweet almonds, but if you can't find bitter almonds, just substitute the sweet ones

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups sweet almonds

1/2 cup bitter almonds

1 cup super fine sugar

2 egg whites

1/2 tsp almond extract

If you buy almonds with skin, you'll have to take this first step - otherwise, skip ahead.Preheat your oven to about 300 degrees. Bring a small pan of water to a boil, and drop the almonds in for about 1.5 - 2 minutes. Then drain out the water, and rub the almonds in a dry cloth to remove the skins. Then spread them on a baking tray and put them in the heated oven for about 10 - 12 minutes (without letting them brown). Remove them from theoven and allow them to cool. When they are cool, grind them up in a food processor, combining with about half of the sugar. With a beater (or stand mixer), whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks (when you lift your whisk out a point forms and then falls over). Then sprinkle half of the remaining sugar over the whites and keep beating them until stiff peaks form (when you lift your whisk out a peak stands and stays up). With a spatula, gently fold in the remaining sugar, being careful not to over-work the whites. Spoon the almond mixture into a pastry bag that you have fitted with a round/smooth tip. Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with a sheet of parchment paper. Dust it with flour. Let out all the air in the pastry bag, and with a firm squeeze, pipe out the mixture into small rounds about the size of a walnut. Let stand for about 2 hours.Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake the amaretti for about 15 minutes or until they turn light gold. Remove from the oven and let cool. When they are cool, you can store them in an air-tight container, or serve them right away with a cup of steaming espresso. Buon appetito!