Aunt Emma's Never Fail Pie Crust

3 c sifted flour
1 1/4 c Shortening
1 tsp salt
1 egg, well beaten
5 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp vinegar

Cut shortening into flour and salt.
Combine egg, water, and vinegar in a separate bowl.
Pour liquid into flour mixture all at once. Blend with spoon until flour is all moistened.
It can be re-rolled without toughening. Will keep in refrigerator for two weeks or divide into balls enough for one pie and wrap in Saran wrap and freeze indefinitely.

Makes 2 crusts

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Espresso and Almonds and Cocoa, Oh My!

Instant Espresso Powder. Now this is an ingredient I have never baked with, or even purchased. This weeks Tuesdays with Dorie baking group chose "Chocolate Biscotti" from the "Baking..." book, page 144.

This recipe came together in the usual fashion: creaming sugar and butter, mixing in eggs and vanilla, incorporating the dry ingredient blend before stirring in chocolate pieces and nuts.  The technique for shaping the biscotti, and the second visit to the oven were new for me. I got worried when cutting the logs into pieces resulted in some breakage, but in the end the results were FANTASTIC if I do say so.

You might ask, has she never had homemade biscotti?  That would be NO.  Apparently I've never even had good biscotti since these little gems stand heads and shoulders above my previous tastings.  They were not the teeth-clenching, head-jarring bars that often require dunking into the preferred hot beverage to get them down.  Indeed, these tender morsels are rich with chocolate, enhanced by almonds and totally delectable.  Score!

I know, I know. I'm working on the photography!
                                                                                
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1 comment:

  1. Buy Me a SodaJune 23, 2011 at 9:53 AM

    you're right! i've only ever had biscotti of the head-jarring variety too. yours look incredible.

    I wonder how these ship...

    ReplyDelete

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