Thursday, February 7, 2008

Low Fat Hazelnut Cinnamon Biscotti

Well, the sun decided to shine for a fleeting moment this afternoon -- just enough time for me to snap a few shots of the biscotti I made. These are really yummy; not too sweet and perfect with a cup of chai on a cold afternoon. An added bonus: they're super low fat, and only 75 calories per cookie. The only change I would make next time would be to add a powdered sugar icing drizzle, but I still thought they were tasty without any icing.

Low Fat Hazelnut Cinnamon Biscotti
Makes: 36 cookies
Source: http://www.epicurious.com/

3 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 c. toasted hazelnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until well blended. In a medium mixing bowl, stir the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and hazelnuts. Add to the egg mixture and mix until well combined.

Turn dough out on to a lightly floured surface, gathering into a ball. Divide into two logs and transfer to baking sheet. Press dough to 1" thick, and smush into evenly formed logs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes or so. Transfer to cutting surface. Slice each log on a sharp diagonal, into approximately 16 pieces each. Place on cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes, flip cookies, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Cookies will continue to crisp as they cool.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

UGH! Wisconsin.

So I heard from my sister-in-law today. She and my brother live in LA. "No posts on your blog this week?" she asks. "NO!", I reply. "No f*#$ing posts. Do you understand the lighting issues I'm dealing with here in Milwaukee? No sunshine for days on end? How the hell am I supposed to do my food justice, when I have to shoot it with FAKE LIGHT?!?!"

That's why I have no photos lately. It's not because I've been cooking crappy food......Carnitas with Tomatillo Salsa....Chinese Style Short Ribs with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes...Triple Chocolate Brownies....Chicken Breasts in Sundried Tomato Cream...yeah, all of these items have been churned out of my kitchen in the past week. But I refuse to shoot crappy pictures from the artificial light in my house. 'Cause I know my shots will look like doo-doo, and I doo-doo not want doo-doo pictures!!

Today we had a snowstorm (you might have heard about it if you watch the news) where we got 18 inches of snow. Seriously. 18 inches! So hand in hand with the snowstorm were (duh) snow, and no sunshine, so once again, no pictures. Tomorrow the forecast is better, maybe I can shoot the Three Cheese Stuffed Shells I've got on the menu.

Does this ever happen to anyone else? You make something really amazing and you just don't have the heart to post a crummy shot? I'd love to commiserate.