Article on our Biscotti at Noon workshop

Thank you again Jonnie Bassaro of the News-Times for this terrific article! Hope you're all making biscotti this holiday season!

best,

Gina and Irene

Biscotti-making workshop, Sunday, Dec. 13

There are still some seats left for the biscotti-making workshop at the Jewish Community Center in Sherman, Conn., on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 1 p.m. To reserve your spot, call Susan Stein at the JCC at 860-355-8050 or e-mail her at jccinsherman@yahoo.com

Hope to see you there!

Irene and Gina

Cooking classes for 2010

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The Season of Soup –– Sunday, January 17, 11:30 a.m.

(Snow date: Sunday, January 24)

Learn how to make three great soups (and great stock)!

• Roasted Tomato

• Lentil with broccoli rabe

• Escarole with turkey meatballs

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Great Starters –– Sunday, February 21, 11:30 a.m.

(Snow date: Sunday, February 28)

Try these yummy appetizers on family and friends!

• Hummus

• Smoked salmon spread

• Artichoke dip

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Fruit and Nut Biscotti –– Sunday, March 14, 11:30 a.m.

(Snow date: Sunday, March 21)

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All workshops are $45. To reserve your spot, e-mail coifedtocook@sbcglobal.net.

It's the season of soup!

Learn how to make three great soups (and great stock)!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

11:30 a.m. or 2:30 p.m.

$45

(Snow date: Sunday, January 24)

To reserve your spot, e-mail coifedtocook@sbcglobal.net.

Please indicate which time you would prefer.

Irene and Gina

Toffee Apple Biscotti

1 small naval orange

3 eggs, large

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons butter, melted

3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder (check date for expiration)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups dried apple, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups Heath English toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a large cookie sheet. Cut the orange into half and each half into quarters (including the rind.) Process the orange chunks in a food processor until it breaks down (the rind will be in larger pieces than the pulp.) You will have about 3/4 cup of processed orange. Set aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs and sugar until light and creamy. Add the processed orange and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add butter and stir.

In a smaller bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. With a wooden spoon add and stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture (the dough will be stiff.) Stir in the apples and toffee bits.

On the buttered cookie sheet, place 3 evenly sized long mounds of dough. With wet hands (to prevent sticking) shape and form the dough into 3 slightly flattened logs about 12 inches in length and 3 to 4 inches wide.

Bake the logs in the middle of the oven until golden, about 30-35 minutes (depending on your oven.) Place the cookie sheet on a rack and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer the logs to a cutting board and with a serrated knife cut each log at an angle crosswise into 12 to 14 slices.

Arrange slices (laying down) on the cookie sheet (you will not have room for all the sliced logs at one time.) Bake for 7-8 minutes, turn the slices over and bake another 7-8 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool. Repeat until all sliced biscotti have been baked again.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 10 days or place cooled biscotti in freezer bags and freeze for 3 months. Biscotti do not require thawing therefore may be eaten frozen.

Makes 36-42 biscotti

Biscotti at Noon

Gina and I did our first Biscotti at Noon workshop on Sunday, Nov. 8. It was a smashing success (if we do say so ourselves)! Thanks to our wonderful participants –– Ann, Sharon, Mary, Lisa, Jackie, Jen, Maddie and Jonnie –– for their enthusiasm and interest and all the great talk about food. Let us know how your biscotti turned out!

We are most grateful to Jonnie Bassaro of the News-Times who wrote the article that got everyone to call or e-mail about this and future workshops. We'll be posting new workshop information on this blog within the month.

Hope to see you soon.

Irene and Gina

Orange, Pumpkin and Pecan Biscotti

Orange, Pumpkin and Pecan Biscotti

Image by TPapi via Flickr

1 small naval orange

3 eggs, large

1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons butter, melted

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder (check date for expiration)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Image via Wikipedia

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
4 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a large cookie sheet. Cut the orange into half and each half into quarters (including the rind). Process the orange chunks in a food processor until it breaks down (the rind will be in larger pieces than the pulp). You will have about 3/4 to 1 cup of processed orange. Set aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs and sugar until light and creamy. Add 1/2 cup processed orange, pumpkin and vanilla. Beat

Image via Wikipedia

until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add butter and stir.

In a smaller bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to the flour mixture. With a wooden spoon add and stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture (the dough will be stiff). Stir in the pecans and crystallized ginger.

On the buttered cookie sheet, place 3 evenly sized long mounds of dough. With wet hands (to prevent sticking) shape and form the dough into 3 slightly flattened logs about 12 inches in length and 3 inches wide.

Bake the logs in the middle of the oven until golden, about 30-35 minutes (depending on your oven.) Place the cookie sheet on a rack and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Transfer the logs to a cutting board and with a serrated knife cut each log at an angle crosswise into 12 to 14 slices.

Arrange slices (laying down) on the cookie sheet (you will not have room for all the sliced logs at one time). Bake for 8-10 minutes, turn the slices over and bake another 7-8 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool. Repeat until all sliced biscotti have been baked twice.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 10 days or place cooled biscotti in freezer bags and freeze for 3 months. Biscotti do not require thawing therefore may be eaten frozen.

Makes 36-42 biscotti