The_Australian_Women_Weekly_Food_Issue_21_2016

FLORENTINE BISCOTTI

PREP + COOK TIME 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES

(+ COOLING & STANDING) MAKES 60

1 cup (220g) caster sugar

2 eggs

1 cup (150g) plain flour

½ cup (75g) self−raising flour

¾ cup (60g) flaked almonds, toasted

½ cup (80g) sultanas

½ cup (100g) red glacé

cherries, halved

200g dark chocolate

1 Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C

fan. Grease and line two oven trays

with baking paper.

2 Whisk sugar and eggs in

a medium bowl until combined;

stir in sifted flours, nuts, sultanas

and cherries. Shape dough into

two 30cm logs. Place on trays;

flatten slightly. Bake for 30

minutes. Cool on trays.

3 Reduce oven temperature

to 140°C/120°C fan.

4 Using a serrated knife, slice

logs diagonally into 5mm slices.

Place slices, in a single layer, on

baking−paper−lined oven trays.

Bake for 15 minutes, turning

halfway through baking, or until

dry and crisp. Cool on wire racks.

5 Break dark chocolate into a

medium heatproof bowl. Place over

a medium saucepan of simmering

water (don’t let water touch base

of bowl); stir until melted. Transfer

chocolate to a small cup. Dip one

end of biscotti into chocolate; drain

excess chocolate. Place on baking−

paper−lined trays. Stand at room

temperature until chocolate sets.

ORANGE POLENTA

BISCUITS

PREP + COOK TIME 30 MINUTES MAKES 20

125g butter, softened

2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind

⅔ cup (110g) icing sugar

⅓ cup (55g) polenta

1 cup (150g) plain flour

¼ cup (55g) caster sugar

1 Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C

fan. Grease two oven trays; line with

baking paper.

2 Beat butter, rind and sifted icing

sugar in a small bowl with an electric

mixer until just combined; stir in

polenta and sifted flour. Turn dough

onto a lightly floured surface; knead

for 1 minute or until smooth.

3 With a lightly floured rolling

pin, roll dough until 5mm thick.

Using a small, sharp knife, trim edges

to make a neat rectangle. Cut dough

into 4cm x 6cm rectangles. Place

rectangles 2cm apart on trays. Gather

dough scraps; repeat rolling and

cutting until all dough is used.

4 Prick each biscuit three times

with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes

or until light golden. Remove from

oven, sprinkle hot biscuits with caster

sugar; stand for 5 minutes before

transferring to wire racks to cool.

COOK’S

NOTES

FLORENTINE BISCOTTI

Biscotti will keep in an

airtight container for up to

2 weeks. If you prefer, you

can substitute pretty much

any combination of nuts and

glacé fruit – just be sure to

keep the weights the same.

ORANGE POLENTA BISCUITS

Orange polenta biscuits will

keep in an airtight container

for up to 1 week. Using lemon

zest rather than orange can

make for a refreshing change.

AWW FOOD • ISSUE TWENTY-ONE 81

Italian Biscuits

“Don’ overbeat the but er mixture

in Step 2 for the Orange Polenta

Biscuits – it wil make the dough

soft and dif icult to handle.”

Rebecca Meli, Recipe Editor, AWW Cookbooks