Missing one deadline didn't get me too far off-track, however. There are so many events to prepare for at this time of year, it's just a matter of getting ready for whatever's next. So, that's what I did, and the next event was our library party! The last three years, I've done two sets of cookies from Nick Malgieri's Cookies Unlimited: Badener Chräbeli and Mostaccioli Barese. And hey, go figure--that's what I did again this year. These two particular recipes appeal to me for entirely different reasons, but the thing they have in common is that they're *easy*!!!
First off are these pale little bear claws called Chräbeli; I love their refreshing super-anise flavor! They always remind me of the first time I tasted anise apart from its sticky, black, molasses-laden black licorice associate. As a foundational flavor, anise has the potential to be clear, clean, and easily as refreshing as mint--just think of a shot of ouzo, for example, or pastis mixed into cold water on a hot day...that's what I'm talking about. And though I will admit I also like "drop"--they really are very different flavors, and leave one with different sense experiences overall. It seems sad to me that anise is almost always linked in the "collective American memory" (if such a thing exists) to the negative pole resulting from the polarizing affect that "icky black licorice" (at large) has on most American palettes, yet somehow there are many who love it as well, and I think they would also love these crunchy little treats!
Oh well, so much for my attempt to redeem anise! These mostaccioli, on the other hand are considerably more accessible. They are only very lightly sweet, quite spicy, and have a slight purplish color due to the sweet ruby port wine added to the dough. They're texture is nearly biscuit-like (American, not English, biscuits that is), and my "improvement" on the recipe is that I give them a kirschwasser/vanilla glaze, which think really gives them a nice edge (and helps "correct" their overall lack of sweetness). This year, on a lark, I split one open like a sandwich roll and spread it with some Nutella--Wow! was that ever good...maybe worth repeating even.
Next in line was biscotti. I alternate between two recipes that I've worked with for years: one came from a Sunset Italian cookbook I bought in a grocery store about 30 years ago. It's untraditional in that it is fortified with butter (it also happens that it's incredibly forgiving and it never, ever, ever, fails...). The other is a more "authentic" recipe for Biscotti di Prato that comes from the wonderfully illustrated A table in Tuscany by Leslie Forbes--it takes a little more skill in handling, cutting, and baking, but results in very richly-flavored biscotti that absolutely require dunking in Vin Santo or an espresso (with Amaretto or Sambuca on the side...).
Finally, we love holiday breads. At Christmas we have stollen and panettone, at Easter, colomba di Pasqua. Stollen were not always quite so easy to find in our area, so when I found a recipe for it in a Christmas book (back in the early 90's), I leaped at the opportunity to get to try my hand at a traditional holiday treat. Of course, I had no idea at the time that it would become a regular feature in my holiday baking repertoire! It took some tweaking, but eventually I got what I got the consistent texture and flavor that I wanted, and kicked it up a little, because I enhance mine with marzipan; here's one from this year:
