A Return to Blogging
Hmmm, it has been awhile since I posted. I have been busy as hell, but also, since I don't have to fight Dale for the computer, it has sort of lost its impetus. And that time suck of a yard: last year we started on the roof terrace, making a temporary, non-structural arbor to provide shade from the elusive Seattle sun. Then this year, it was all about the dining terrace in the backyard. That was a time and money suck.
So to ease my way back in, I am going to make this an easy post.
We both love licorice (black, of course), and its family of flavors: fennel, anise, Pernod, Absinthe. So when it came to Christmas cookie baking, I decided to try something different than the usual chocolate, cinnamon, ginger, et al. I found two anise cookies. Anise Drops are by Martha Stewart, and were first featured in her Holiday Cookies; the other is an adaptation by Amanda Hesser of a Dorie Greenspan recipe. Martha's had a fantastic texture, and was pretty simple. Dorie's, however, had a better flavor, but was more complex to make, and it went hard in a few days. Dorie's texture at first was fluffy and chewy, with a slightly crunchy shell, almost like a meringue. Martha's recipe produced a similar texture, but was even more meringue like, with a harder shell, and still chewy inside. Admittedly I didn’t wait the 4-8 hours for Greenspan’s cookies. I am sure they would have been amazing, but who has that much counter real estate during the holidays?
I should also mention that Dale and a coworker made Martha’s recipe, and since we ate so many, we immediately threw together a second batch.
So below are both recipes, followed by a third that combines the best of both.
Anise Drops (Martha Stewart 2007)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon anise extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
Put eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until eggs are fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar until incorporated, about 3 minutes. Mix in anise extract. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a coupler or a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as an Ateco No. 806). Pipe 1 3/4-inch rounds onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 1/2 inch apart.
Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops crack and cookies are very pale, 8 to 9 minutes. Transfer to wire racks using a spatula; let cool. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.
Anise Cookies "Paris Sweets," by Dorie Greenspans
Time: 1 hour, plus 4 to 8 hours' resting
2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons anise seeds
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour.
Line two baking sheets with Silpat mats. Fit a medium pastry bag with a 3/8-inch plain round tip (or use a small spoon).
Put sugar and anise seeds in bowl of a food processor, and process 1 minute to flavor sugar with anise. Pour sugar though a strainer into bowl of a mixer; discard anise seeds that remain in strainer. Crack eggs into bowl, and using whisk attachment, whip eggs and sugar at high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. When you lift the whisk, the mixture should fall back on itself and form a slowly dissolving ribbon. Using a large rubber spatula, add flour through a strainer, folding it in gently in two additions.
Pipe or spoon rounds of the batter, each about 2 inches across, onto the Silpat mats, leaving about 1/2 inch between rounds. Let them rest, uncovered, at room temperature for 4 to 8 hours.
Position racks to divide oven into thirds, and preheat it to 350 degrees.
Bake cookies 12 to 15 minutes, rotating pans front to back and top to bottom midway, until they turn pale, almost white, and release easily from the Silpat mat. Transfer cookies to a rack, and cool to room temperature.
Yield: about 70 cookies.
AJ’s Anise Cookies
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons anise seeds
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put sugar and anise seeds in bowl of a food processor, and process 1 minute to flavor sugar with anise. Pour sugar though a strainer into bowl of a mixer; save anise seeds that remain in strainer for another use. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
Put eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until eggs are fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar until incorporated, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a coupler or a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as an Ateco No. 806). Pipe or spoon 1 3/4-inch rounds onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 1/2 inch apart.
Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops crack and cookies are very pale, 8 to 9 minutes. Transfer to wire racks using a spatula; let cool. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.
Yield: about 50 cookies.
Equipment
I used this amazing silicone-coated parchment paper from Finland. It wasn’t cheap but I chalked that up to being “green” and at Whole Foods. But it has lasted a looong time. Sheets can be simply wiped off, and reused. And reused. And reused. Unlike many parchment paper, this is not bleached, nor does it contain chrome, a heavy metal.
Cookie sheets: the highly rated and heavy Vollrath. They stay hot a long time, so be sure to have extras while the first batch cools. They make an excellent wedding gift. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/document/testing/MJ05_CookieSheets.pdf
So to ease my way back in, I am going to make this an easy post.
We both love licorice (black, of course), and its family of flavors: fennel, anise, Pernod, Absinthe. So when it came to Christmas cookie baking, I decided to try something different than the usual chocolate, cinnamon, ginger, et al. I found two anise cookies. Anise Drops are by Martha Stewart, and were first featured in her Holiday Cookies; the other is an adaptation by Amanda Hesser of a Dorie Greenspan recipe. Martha's had a fantastic texture, and was pretty simple. Dorie's, however, had a better flavor, but was more complex to make, and it went hard in a few days. Dorie's texture at first was fluffy and chewy, with a slightly crunchy shell, almost like a meringue. Martha's recipe produced a similar texture, but was even more meringue like, with a harder shell, and still chewy inside. Admittedly I didn’t wait the 4-8 hours for Greenspan’s cookies. I am sure they would have been amazing, but who has that much counter real estate during the holidays?
I should also mention that Dale and a coworker made Martha’s recipe, and since we ate so many, we immediately threw together a second batch.
So below are both recipes, followed by a third that combines the best of both.
Anise Drops (Martha Stewart 2007)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon anise extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
Put eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until eggs are fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar until incorporated, about 3 minutes. Mix in anise extract. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a coupler or a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as an Ateco No. 806). Pipe 1 3/4-inch rounds onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 1/2 inch apart.
Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops crack and cookies are very pale, 8 to 9 minutes. Transfer to wire racks using a spatula; let cool. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.
Anise Cookies "Paris Sweets," by Dorie Greenspans
Time: 1 hour, plus 4 to 8 hours' resting
2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons anise seeds
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour.
Line two baking sheets with Silpat mats. Fit a medium pastry bag with a 3/8-inch plain round tip (or use a small spoon).
Put sugar and anise seeds in bowl of a food processor, and process 1 minute to flavor sugar with anise. Pour sugar though a strainer into bowl of a mixer; discard anise seeds that remain in strainer. Crack eggs into bowl, and using whisk attachment, whip eggs and sugar at high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. When you lift the whisk, the mixture should fall back on itself and form a slowly dissolving ribbon. Using a large rubber spatula, add flour through a strainer, folding it in gently in two additions.
Pipe or spoon rounds of the batter, each about 2 inches across, onto the Silpat mats, leaving about 1/2 inch between rounds. Let them rest, uncovered, at room temperature for 4 to 8 hours.
Position racks to divide oven into thirds, and preheat it to 350 degrees.
Bake cookies 12 to 15 minutes, rotating pans front to back and top to bottom midway, until they turn pale, almost white, and release easily from the Silpat mat. Transfer cookies to a rack, and cool to room temperature.
Yield: about 70 cookies.
AJ’s Anise Cookies
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons anise seeds
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put sugar and anise seeds in bowl of a food processor, and process 1 minute to flavor sugar with anise. Pour sugar though a strainer into bowl of a mixer; save anise seeds that remain in strainer for another use. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
Put eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until eggs are fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar until incorporated, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a coupler or a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as an Ateco No. 806). Pipe or spoon 1 3/4-inch rounds onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 1/2 inch apart.
Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops crack and cookies are very pale, 8 to 9 minutes. Transfer to wire racks using a spatula; let cool. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.
Yield: about 50 cookies.
Equipment
I used this amazing silicone-coated parchment paper from Finland. It wasn’t cheap but I chalked that up to being “green” and at Whole Foods. But it has lasted a looong time. Sheets can be simply wiped off, and reused. And reused. And reused. Unlike many parchment paper, this is not bleached, nor does it contain chrome, a heavy metal.
Cookie sheets: the highly rated and heavy Vollrath. They stay hot a long time, so be sure to have extras while the first batch cools. They make an excellent wedding gift. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/document/testing/MJ05_CookieSheets.pdf
posted by jaka at 2:18 PM
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