Not too long ago, Devon and I attended a Baltimore food blogger’s get together hosted by Dara at Dining Dish, in Julie from Kitchenography‘s home.
The event was held in honor of Nick Malegieri and was an introduction to his new book Bake!.
Nick is the former Executive Pastry Chef at Window’s on the World. His credentials and awards speak volumes of his talent and commitment to the art of baking.
This event was wonderful, in that it was casual and informal.
(My kind of event!) We gathered and mingled.
Then Dara introduced Nick. He shared some of his passions, a bit of his story and then opened up the floor for questions. He fielded questions about his opinion of baking bloggers and super expensive cookbooks, to what inspired him to start baking and how to get published. He was gracious and humble. He was a wealth of information and listening to him, you realized this is a man who understands baking inside and out.
Nick then introduced two items that he made for the evening. One was this,
Chocolate Bourbon Cake. Seriously…can you go wrong with this?
The surprising item for me were these little babies.
They look unassuming and non-descript…but, let me tell you, when Nick followed up the event with a letter and the recipe for these Tozzetti: Roman Anise, Almond and Hazelnut Biscotti, I was over the moon with joy. I couldn’t stop eating these. Julie filled a bag for us to take home at the end of the night. Let me just say, I couldn’t wait to wake up the next morning and have these with my coffee. I’m thinking I need to go buy a new cookie jar, to keep it full of these. They need to be a staple in my home.
Nick shared the recipes with us and not wanting to keep for myself, something so divine, I want to share them with you. I promise you, neither of these recipes will disappoint. Neither will Nick Malgieri’s cookbook Bake! We picked one up for our son. (He wants to own a bakery when he gets older.) He has already made Kyra’s Hot Milk Sponge Cake recipe that is found in the book and it was delish.
I’m so grateful to have found such a wonderful and talented group of friends through blogging. Thank you for sharing your own wonderful dishes with us that night. Also, Dara and Julie, thank you for hosting such an inspiring night and Nick, for sharing with us your talents and recipes.
TOZZETTI: ROMAN ANISE, ALMOND, AND HAZELNUT BISCOTTI
Unlike most biscotti that are formed into narrow loaves before baking, tozzetti are spread in a pan. After the initial baking, they are cut into narrow strips and dried in the oven until shatteringly crisp.
Makes about 80 thin biscotti
2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups whole blanched almonds, lightly toasted
1 cup whole blanched hazelnuts, lightly toasted
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons Sambuca liqueur
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon aniseed, crushed
One 9 x 13- x 2-inch pan, buttered and lined with buttered foil
1. Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
2. Stir the flour and baking powder together, then stir in the almonds and hazelnuts and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the sugar, continuing to whisk for a minute until somewhat lightened. Whisk in the liqueur, vanilla, and aniseed. Use a large rubber spatula to stir in the flour and nut mixture.
4. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until just firm, about 20-25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack.
5. When completely cool, slide the slab of baked dough to a cutting board. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut into three 3-inch wide bars, then cut across them to make 1/2-inch thick biscotti. Arrange the cut biscotti on 2 paper-lined pans.
6. Dry the biscotti until very crisp but still light in color at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes. Cool and store in a tin.
Copyright © Nick Malgieri 2011, All Rights Reserved
CHOCOLATE BOURBON CAKE
The sweet, mellow flavor of Bourbon has a great affinity for chocolate. Serve this unadorned cake with a little unsweetened whipped cream.
Makes one 8-inch cake, 8 to 10 servings
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70%), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)
Pinch of salt
5 large eggs
3 tablespoons best-quality Bourbon
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
One 8-inch round 2-inch deep pan, buttered, bottom lined with a disk of buttered parchment
1. Set a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, allowing it to sizzle and get really hot. Remove from heat, add chocolate and whisk smooth.
3. In a bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, flour, and salt together; add all the eggs and Bourbon. Whisk together smoothly
4. Stir the brown sugar into the butter and chocolate mixture and stir into the batter.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the cake until the center is still soft, but no longer liquid, 25 to 35 minutes.
6. Cool the cake on a rack.
7. To serve the cake, invert to a platter and remove the pan and paper. Cover loosely with plastic wrap if not serving immediately.
Copyright © Nick Malgieri 2011, All Rights Reserved
