Cook of the Month: Denise Swann, Dixie EC Denise Swann has always loved baking. She learned it from her grandmother and today, prefers it to any other kind of cooking. The retired teacher also loves the food culture and flavors of Italy, a country she’s visited multiple times, so she combined her two passions in her recipe for Cranberry Orange Almond Biscotti. “I really enjoy biscotti and I saw a recipe that I liked, but I tweaked it to make it my own,” she said. The change was the addition of blood orange’s bold zip. She’s not the only one pleased with the results, one reason she now gives these biscotti as gifts. “I have a friend who likes them so much I give her the entire recipe for her birthday each year, but for most gifts, I put about six pieces in a cellophane bag and wrap it up pretty,” she said. “They're great for Christmas.”
Cranberry Orange Almond Biscotti ¼ cup olive oil Zest of one orange (I use blood orange, but plain is fine) ¾ cup white sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ½ teaspoon almond extract 2 eggs 1¾ cups all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ cup craisins 1 cup whole roasted almonds
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and zest until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in the eggs. Combine flour, salt and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture. Mix in craisins and nuts by hand. Divide dough in half. (It is very sticky. I have water to dampen my fingers when forming the logs.) Form 2 logs on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the logs are light brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 275 degrees. Cut the logs on a diagonal into 1-inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes or until dry, then cool. This recipe makes about 20 cookies.
Calling all home cooks! It's time to spice up our recipe selection and you could be a winner! We are looking for fresh, creative recipes from readers just like you. In addition to our monthly Cook of the Month prize, beginning in January, all cooks who submit a recipe will automatically be entered into a drawing to win a gift basket full of Alabama Living merchandise. Take a look at our upcoming themes and send in your favorite recipes today! (see rules below)
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Themes and Deadlines February: Spicy Foods | Dec. 8 March: Honey | Jan. 8 April: Bread | Feb. 8
Coming up in January... Slow cooker favorites!
Please send us your original recipes, developed by you or family members, and not ones copied from a book or magazine. You may adapt a recipe from another source by changing as little as the amount of one ingredient. Cook of the Month winners will receive $50, and may win “Cook of the Month” only once per calendar year. One gift basket winner will be drawn monthly at random and each name will be entered only once. Items in basket may vary each month. To be eligible, submissions must include a name, phone number, mailing address and co-op name. Alabama Living reserves the right to reprint recipes in our other publications.
36 DECEMBER 2017
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