A Personal Favorite - My Recipe Rotation - Swedish Limpa Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is one of the first breads I learned to make, and I suspect the pleasant memories associated with those very early days in the kitchen explain why it holds a place in my permanent rotation. It has been my favorite bread for over 6 decades now, and while I try to replace it, I've never found an adequate substitute. When this bread was first featured on One Perfect Bite, I posted 2 recipes for it, one modern and one not so much. Although I appreciate the ease with which the no-knead version comes together, I am a traditionalist and use the original method when I make this bread for the Silver Fox and myself. I love the heady aroma of the orange and anise seeds as the bread bakes and I can't think of a bread in the world that makes a better open-faced sandwich. If you have never had Limpa bread, I urge you to give either version of this bread a try. Here is what I had to say about the bread back in 2008.

Bizcochitos

My Thought for the Day can be found, here. If you like it, give us a thumbs up and share it with your friends.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is the third and last of the recipes that I'll be featuring for bizcochitos this year. It comes from Jen's Favorite Cookies and it is my favorite of all the versions I tested. Bizcochitos are the state cookie of New Mexicao, and this traditional lemon and anise treat is a regional favorite that is served during the celebration of Cinco de Mayo. Jen's version has a slightly different texture than the others  because it uses less sugar  and it is made with shortening rather than butter. The cookie was originally made with lard. This is a perfect biscuit for those who prefer their treats on the less sweet side and they are wonderful served with coffee or tea. Bizcochitos are easy to make but I find them difficult to roll out because the dough is so soft. Keep the dough as cold as possible and roll it on a heavily floured board to keep sticking to a minimum. The process is irksome, but definitely worth it. Here is how this version of Bizcochitos is  made.

Bizcochitos ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Jen's Favorite Cookies

Ingredients:
Cookie Dough
1 cup shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon anise seeds, crushed
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2-1/2 cups flour
Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
1) Cream shortening and sugar.
2) Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
3) Add anise and lemon zest, and mix well. Add salt and baking powder and mix well.
4) Add flour a bit at a time, mixing to incorporate. Dough will be stiff.
5) Wrap in plastic or parchment paper and chill for 30-60 minutes.
6) Meanwhile, combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
7) Roll onto a lightly floured surface, to about 1/4-inch thickness, and cut shapes. Place on baking sheet, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
8) Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.









One Year Ago Today: Orange Blossom Sheet Cake














Two Years Ago Today: Roasted Strawberry and Cream Cheesecake













Three Years Ago Today: Strawberry Tea Bread















Four Years Ago Today: Circassian Chicken

Anise Butter Cutouts

My Thought for the Day can be found, here. If you like it, give us a thumbs up.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This lovely cookie is a riff on the bizcochitos that are served during Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Southwestern United States. I have several recipes for cookies of this type. Authentic versions are made with lard and the cutters used to shape them are more elaborate than the 2-1/2 inch molds that I use. Fortunately, this cookie is about flavor rather than appearance, and I know those of you who enjoy barely sweet treats will love these anise flavored gems. They are perfect with afternoon coffee or tea and they transport reasonably well. That makes them a great candidate for bake sales or morning meetings. The recipe is straight forward and easy to follow, but be sure to work on a well-floured board in order to prevent the dough from sticking to the surface on which it is rolled. I hope you'll give this recipe a try. It makes a nice cookie. Here is how to make the anise butter cutouts.

Anise Butter Cutouts...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Taste of Home Baking cookbook

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided use
1 egg
2 tablespoons thawed orange juice concentrate
2 teaspoons aniseed, crushed
3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) In a large bowl, cream butter and 1-1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in orange juice concentrate and aniseed.
3) Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
4) On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-inch round cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
5) Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over cookies. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.










One Year Ago Today: Moroccan Spiced Carrots














Two Years Ago Today: Cream of Tomato Soup with Fresh Basil













Three Years Ago Today: Blueberry Glace Pie

Anise Biscotti

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We are delivering Christmas baskets to the neighbors this afternoon. I've just made a last minute addition to them because they weren't quite full enough to achieve the look I was aiming for. I decided to use these anise flavored biscotti as a filler because, while they are delicious, they are also very easy to make. As it happens, they're also one of my favorite cookies and I liked the thought of holding a few of them back for my own consumption. They are wonderful with a cup of coffee and it is a near perfect treat for those of us who don't like our desserts to be too sweet. The cookies have a mild licorice flavor that is a perfect way to end a meal. I have one caution to share with those of you who plan to give this recipe a try. The dough is very soft and I've found it best to form the logs on prepared cookie sheets rather than attempt a transfer from the counter to the pan. You'll also want to form long, narrow logs because this is a dough that spreads and will encroach, amoeba-like, on its neighbor if given half a chance. I do hope you will try this recipe. This biscotti would be a perfect addition to your holiday cookie tray. Here's how they are made.

Anise Biscotti...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Carroll Pellegrinelli at about.com

Ingredients:
3-1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
10 tablespoons (1-1/4 stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon anise extract
2 teaspoons ground aniseed
1 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted, hand-crushed

Directions:
1) Preheat to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2) Mix flour, baking powder, and salt with a wire whisk.
3) Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in anise extract and ground seeds.
4) Gradually add flour mixture until well combined. Hand stir in almonds.
5) Divide dough in half. Shape into two logs, about 12-inches long, and place on baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer pans to wire racks for cooling. Let pans sit until biscotti are completely cool, about 25 minutes. Slice logs diagonally into 1/2 to 3/4-inch slices.
6) Discard parchment paper, and place log slices, cut side down on baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn and bake for 8 minutes longer, or until just beginning to color. Biscotti can be made 1 week before you plan to serve them if they are stored in an airtight container. Yield: 2 dozen biscotti.

One Year Ago Today: Mulled Cranberry and Cider Punch

Two Years Ago Today: Miso Soup

Three Years Ago Today: Warm Apple Pudding with Hot Caramel Sauce

Hazelnut-Anise Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This lovely European-style icebox cookie is perfect to serve with afternoon tea or coffee. The recipe, which was developed by Kate Ramos for CHOW, uses five basic ingredients and while the dough needs time to chill, it can be made in about 15 minutes, if you have a food processor and can buy skinned and toasted hazelnuts. That's not a problem for those of us who live in Oregon. Hazelnuts are grown here and they come to market in all guises, including skinned and toasted. I was a bride when I first made hazelnut cookies, and, in my rush to impress and fill a cookie tray with every variety known to man, I decided to save some time and bypassed skinning the nuts. It turned out to be a huge mistake because the skin of a hazelnut is very bitter and my cookies were ruined. If you have to skin the nuts yourself, Fine Cooking has a fantastic article on the two ways this can be done. You can find the article here.This recipe also works well with almonds which you may find easier to deal with. I like to make the dough for these cookies the day before I plan to bake them. The dough is crumbly and much easier to slice when it is really cold. The finished cookie is slightly sandy in texture and its buttery flavor is made more interesting by the hint of licorice that comes from the anise seeds. The kids won't care much for these, but lovers of just sweet European cookies will enjoy them. They are a sophisticated slice and bake cookie that might be a nice addition to your repertoire. Here's how they are made.

Hazelnut-Anise Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Kate Ramos and CHOW.com

Ingredients:
1 cup toasted hazelnuts, cooled
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons anise seed
2 sticks (8-ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions:
1) Combine hazelnuts and sugar in bowl of a food processor. Pulse about 10 times until nuts are finely ground. Add flour, salt, and anise seed and pulse to combine.
2) Add butter and pulse until dough just comes together, about 1 minute. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a 1-1/2-inch wide log. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour or keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.
3) When ready to bake, arrange a rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4) Working with one chilled log at a time, slice dough into 1/4-inch thick rounds and place them about 1/2 inch apart on a baking sheet.
5) Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the bottom edges become pale and golden. Repeat with the other log. Cool cookies for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Yield: About 50 cookies.

Cook's Note: The cookie dough  can be frozen for up to1 month. Frozen dough should sit at room temperature for about 40 minutes before cutting and baking.

One Year Ago Today: Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares

Two Years Ago Today: Warm Black Bean Dip

Three Years Ago Today: Maple Chocolate Walnut Bars

Lemon Anise Churros

Photo Courtesy of Nicki Dowey

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When a chef whose specialty is Southwestern cooking, adds Asian spices to pâte à choux, the end result is a churro with attitude. In its simplest form, a churro is a cylindrical piece of fried dough. It was developed by Spanish shepherds centuries ago and it got its name because it resembled the horns of the Churro sheep they tended. The original churro was the size of a breadstick and was usually eaten for breakfast. The churro escaped its borders during the Age of Discovery and can now be found on tables in many parts of the world. Chef David Walzog added ground star anise and lemon zest to the churros he made during his tenure in the kitchen at Arizona 206. They are delicious and easy to make, but they are not with out pitfalls. The churro must be well-drained, but still warm when it receives its sugar coating, and it must be served immediately after that's been done. These wait for no man or woman. You've been warned. You'll see what happens when I don't follow my own advice at the bottom this post. Having shared that with you, I'd like it to remain our little secret. If you have never had a churro, I hope you will give this recipe a try. If you've had them before, I hope you'll give this version a try. The star anise and lemon zest make these really special. Here's the recipe.

Lemon Anise Churros...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by David Walzog

Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 stick (4-oz.) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons ground star anise
Grated zest of 1 lemon
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions:
1) Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl
2) Combine water, butter, anise and lemon zest in a 3-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add flour, all at once, and cook, beating constantly until flour forms a ball and films bottom of pan. Remove pan from heat.
3) Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated and mixture is smooth and shiny.
4) Combine granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar in a plastic bag and set aside.
5) Spoon batter into a pastry bag fitted with a medium-sized star tip.
6) Heat 3-inch of oil in a deep pan until it reaches 375 degrees F.
7) Pipe batter into oil in 5 to 6-inch lengths. Do not crowd pan. Fry until golden brown, about three minutes. Remove from oil and drain on paper toweling. Continue frying until all batter has been used.
8) Drop warm churros into bag of sugar and shake to generously coat. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings

You might also enjoy these recipes:
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Zeppole - One Perfect Bite
Calas Sweet Rice Fritters - One Perfect Bite
Recipe of the Day: Churros - Mark Bittman
Churros con Chocolate - Baking Bites