Christmas Memories

Time speeds by much faster these days. Each year seems to fly more swiftly than the one before. Do you remember how painfully slow time passed in childhood. Counting down the days to Christmas seemed an eternity. I think I am still digesting turkey from Thanksgiving, and the calendar tells me it is nearly Christmas. No lights are up yet, no tree has been trimmed. We have marked the season in one of our favorite ways. I had a rare free day on Friday, a beautiful rainy day. We lit a fire in the hearth, made tea, put on Christmas music of our childhood years and baked biscotti.

When I was a child at home we had neighbors from Italy. They dug a wine cellar into the hill in their backyard. They planted fruit trees throughout the property. They had vegetables growing in the front yard while everyone else on the block had lawns. The Vitales could also really, really cook. I don't mean make a dinner now and then, everything was a production. Meals were masterpieces. They even put another cooking range in the garage off the kitchen to handle the overflow. I can still smell the fragrance of fennel, basil, rosemary, and ripe figs. Pizzas baking, sauces bubbling on the stove, Joanne Vitale cranking pasta on tables in the garage. There was always something delicious in progress at the Vitales, but Christmas time was unrivalled in the variety and quantity of treasures that were baked, simmered, roasted, rolled, and stuffed.

For some reason, the Vitales never bought a mixer. There was no need. They borrowed my mother's. We could anticipate them knocking on the door a few days preceding holidays asking to borrow our white Sunbeam mixer. I was always so delighted to rummage through our cabinets looking for the mixer and the beaters. I was excited because I knew when the mixer returned it would be accompanied by a heaving plate of goodies like nothing we had ever seen or tasted. Christmas star cookies, cannoli, pannetone, biscotti, and bowls of zabalgnon and panna cotta would be brought over by Emmanuel or Giovanni. No fairer deal has been made in history than a few hours use of our small appliance for plates full of exquisite holiday treats. I can still smell the smells and taste those tastes.

Friday's rainy day took me back to those sweet days of my childhood. The smell of cookies in the oven, brisk winter weather, and the delight of giving away love through baking for others. Who needs a tree and lights to get in the Christmas spirit.

You will love these biscotti. They contain NO FAT. No butter or shortening will be used in the making of this treat. They contain only two eggs! The flavor notes come from the variables you add to the mix. Make up your own combinations. Each ingredient brings something different to the party. Mix and match. I like to use liqeurs for adding a punch of flavor. The alcohol also adds lightness to the cookies. Try limoncello walnut! Do some experimenting. You will find the moisture content to be the trickiest part. If you get stuck or have troubles, call me or write. I am happy to give phone consultations. If you want, let's bake some together. Teaching is loads of fun.

Biscotti di prato (almond orange biscotti):

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup corn starch

1 cup sugar

1 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/4 t cardomum

1/4 t dry powdered ginger

2 eggs

zest from one whole orange

1 t vanilla

1 T orange juice

1 t triple sec or grand marnier

1-1 1/2 cups chopped almonds

1 cup finely chopped dried cranberries (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 375 or 350 convection.

2) Sift together dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly after sifting. With mixer on low add one beaten egg. Add zest, vanilla, orange juice, and triple sec. Add the next beaten egg. Mix thoroughly. Fold in nuts and cranberries.

3) Shape dough on a floured board into two squat logs no taller than 1". Place the two logs on two ends of a cookie sheet on parchment paper. Bake at 375 for twenty minutes until firm and golden. Remove from oven and cool about five mintues. Reduce heat to 300. Cut logs into 1/2 slices with a sharp chef's knife. Go straight down as you cut, do not "saw."You want clean sharp edges to the slices.

4) Bake twenty more mintues on cookie sheet until lighty toasted. Let cool on wire rack. Makes 2 1/2 dozen biscotti.