The Cook's Atelier

Hazelnut biscotti

The days are getting longer and it is beginning to feel like spring is on its way.  I'm dreaming of morels, fava beans and sugar snap peas, apricot tarts, baby artichokes braised in a little white wine, and fresh cherries eaten straight off the tree.

Until then, here's a little something to enjoy with an afternoon cup of tea while you are dreaming of spring.

 

Hazelnut biscotti

adapted from Tartine, by Elisabeth M. Prueitt

Yield:  4 1/2 dozen cookies, 2 1/2 inches long

 

1/2 cup hazelnuts

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons Grand Marnier

2 teaspoons orange zest, grated

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet.  Place in the oven and toast lightly just until fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Remove from the oven, place in the center of a kitchen towel, and rub off the skins while the nuts are still warm.  Coarsely chop the nuts and set aside.  Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick liner.

This recipe is easily mixed using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed or by hand with a wooden spoon.  In a mixing bowl, cream the butter until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.  Slowly add the sugar and beat until light in color and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Add the eggs and beat until the mixture is smooth.  Beat in the Grand Marnier and orange zest.  Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined.  Stir in the chopped nuts.

On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into 2 equal portions.  Shape each portion into a log about the length of your prepared baking sheet and about 2 inches in diameter.  Set the logs on the baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

Bake the logs until they are set to the touch and lightly browned on top, about 25 minutes.  Let the rolls cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board and cut on the diagonal into slices about 2 1/2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick.  Return the slices cut side down to the baking sheet.  Bake the cookies until the edges are lightly toasted, 3 to 4 minutes, then turn the cookies over and bake for another 3 minutes.  Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack.  They will keep in a tightly covered container at room temperature for several weeks, if they last that long.

Blood orange, fennel and radish salad

It's that time of year when we are dreaming about the plans for this year's potager and counting the days until spring arrives.  As much as I adore the rustic, peasant-style dishes of winter, I'm looking forward to dining alfresco, tender baby peas topped with French butter and fresh strawberries picked and eaten right in the garden.

Fennel is a winter staple in the kitchen at The Cook's Atelier and is perfect when sliced thin and paired with blood oranges and French garden radishes, drizzled with olive oil, and simply finished with a grind of fresh pepper and a sprinkling of fleur de sel.  It' a beautiful salad that is bright and cheerful - perfect as we countdown the days until spring.

Blood orange, fennel and radish salad

serves 6

2 blood oranges

1 small bunch of French breakfast radishes

2 heads of fennel

juice of 1 small lemon

Parmesan, cut into thin slices using a vegetable peeler

3 tablespoons fruity extra-virgin olive oil

A grind or two of fresh black pepper and a sprinkling of fleur de sel

Slice off the bottom of each blood orange and cut away the peel and pith from top to bottom.  Cut into slices and remove the seeds.

Cut off the leaves of the radishes and cut into thin slices.  If the leaves of the radishes are perky, add them to the salad.  

Trim off the fennel tops and slice in half.  Remove the tough outer layer and trim the bottom. Using a mandolin or sharp knife, cut into very thin slices, tossing them into a bowl of lemon juice to prevent them from discoloring.  

Gently toss all of the ingredients together, except for the blood oranges (they will bleed their juice), in a small bowl.  Season to taste and arrange on a platter.  Tuck the slices of blood orange in and around the salad.  Finish with a few shavings of Parmesan.