LACY COOKIE BASKETS
List of Ingredients
LACY COOKIE BASKETS
Lily Gerson, an El Cerrito baker-caterer, has been creating these
filigree cookies for years, ever since getting the recipe at a class
taught by Cal Stamenov, executive chef of The Highlands Inn in
Carmel. Fill with berries and ice cream or whipped cream.
INGREDIENTS:
-- 3 ounces (about 3/4 cup) toasted hazelnuts
-- 3/4 cup sugar
-- 1 tablespoon flour
-- 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) melted butter
-- 3/4 cup corn syrup
INSTRUCTIONS: Rub as much of the skin off the hazelnuts as possible.
Put the nuts in a blender or food processor and grind them, being
careful not to turn them into paste. Transfer the ground nuts to a
bowl and mix with the sugar and flour. Stir in the melted butter,
then the corn syrup. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie
sheet with kitchen parchment paper or with re-usable silicone lining
(see note). If using parchment, butter it lightly. Have ready a small
bowl filled with water, and a teaspoon.
Dip the spoon into the water, then scoop out a marble-size piece of
hazelnut mixture and place it on the baking sheet. Using the wet
spoon, spread the mixture into a circle or oval shape about 2 1/2
inches in diameter. Repeat, putting only about 4 or 5 cookies on a
sheet, since they spread dramatically.
Bake about 5 to 6 minutes, until nicely browned, watching the cookies
carefully to prevent scorching.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool for
about 1 minute. Loosen each with a spatula and shape into shallow
cups by quickly draping each cookie over the bottom of an upside down
custard cup or juice glass. Or, drape them over a rolling pin to make
tuiles, or form them around metal cornucopia cones, if those are
available.
Work quickly as these cookies turn hard very soon and can no longer
be shaped. If this happens, put the baking sheet back in the oven for
a minute to soften them. The cookies must be hot to be shaped so you
may want to wear latex gloves.
Repeat the procedure with the remaining hazelnut mixture.
Let the cookies cool completely. The cookies are fragile, but may be
stored in an airtight container, separated by pieces of parchment
paper, for several days. Yields 30 cookie baskets.
Note: Backslon is one brand of silicone lining. It is available at
Sur La Table in Berkeley and San Francisco.
PER BASKET: 80 calories, 0 g protein, 12 g carbohydrate, 4 g fat (2 g
saturated), 6 mg cholesterol, 23 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.
Recipe
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