Cat Santamauro makes a Restaurant Week staple look so simple and sexy.

Chocolate Creme Brulee

Crème brulee is awesome. The reason it’s awesome is it’s simplicity with very few ingredients. Lets face it, cream tastes good. The only thing it could possibly be missing is chocolate. Here’s the remedy.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 8 egg yolks
• 1 vanilla bean cut lengthwise (you can use 2 teaspoons of high quality vanilla extract if you don’t have beans, but don’t use imitation.)
• 2/3 cup sugar plus more for topping
• 4 very thin squares high quality dark chocolate

Directions

1. In a heavy bottomed pan scald the cream and vanilla until steaming but don’t let it boil.
2. Remove the vanilla beans and scrape the seed back into the cream. Whisk well.
3. In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar until smooth.
4. Add a small amount of the cream to the eggs and whisk throughly.
5. Once it is fully incorporated add the remaining cream in a slow stream mixing constantly. (This is an important step as if you add the hot cream too quickly it will cause the eggs to cook and you will end up with vanilla scrambled eggs, which, while it might be good, is not what we are going for)
6. Run the mixture through a fine sieve to remove and lumps.
7. Fill ramekins and drop one square of chocolate in the center of each.
8. Place in a water bath. (A water bath, for those that don’t know, is when you place the ramekin inside another container, like a casserole pan, and fill it with water until it comes halfway up the ramekins. It ensures even cooking)
9. Bake at 250 for 1 to 1 ½ hours until the quiver slightly in the center when moved.
10. Let cool for several hours (at least 5)
11. Right before serving sprinkle the top with a teaspoon of sugar. Using a kitchen torch move the flame in steady circles until all the sugar gets all hard and yummy. Serve immediately.

– Cat Santamauro

catFood is one girl’s mission to teach people the art of simple food with big flavor. She loves cheese, crafts, and her Kitchen-Aid mixer. She can often be found around fresh produce and curing the common cold with Matzo Ball Soup.

Cat Santamauro loves doughnuts almost as much as we do. Let’s hear it for the jelly-filled kind.

Sufganiyot

I figured with the holiday season upon us I would pay some love to the tribe. Gingerbread seems to hog the spotlight, so I thought I would show off a Hanukkah specialty, “Sufganiyot”. Hanukkah is all about fried food to commemorate the oil that lasted eight days. If you can think of a better use for oil than frying up delicious food, I’d like to hear it.

This recipe makes about 24 doughnuts (with leftover scraps for extra fried goodness)

Ingredients:

• 2 packets active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (about 100 degrees)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you might want some more for rolling out the dough)
• 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup strawberry jam mixed till not lumpy
• 3 cups vegetable oil for fryers

Directions:

1. Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a small bowl and let sit for 10 min ’til it’s nice and foamy. If it doesn’t get foamy, throw it out and start over.
2. Place flour on a clean surface and create a well in the center.
3. Add eggs, butter, cinnamon and salt.
4. Knead throughly until you have some smooth, sticky, elastic dough.
5. Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap.
6. Let rise in a warm place for 1 ½ hours.
7. Place dough on a floured surface and roll out to ¼ to ½ inch thickness.
8. Cut as many rounds as dough allows with a biscuit cutter or a floured drinking glass. You can re-roll the scraps or just cut them into 1 inch irregular shapes to make donut holes.
9. Take a dough round and spoon a tablespoon of jam in the center and cover with another round, pinch the edges together by pulling outward (this should make the doughnut about an inch bigger in diameter)
10. Use the same biscuit cutter and go over it again cutting off the excess. Place on an oiled cookie sheet. Continue with the rest of the dough.
11. Cover and let rise for another hour until the doughnuts double in size.
12. Heat the oil to 375. Drop the doughnuts in (two at a time) and cook for 30 seconds on each side. Remove and set on paper towels to drain.
13. When slightly cool, roll in either granulated or powdered sugar.
14. Serve warm.

– Cat Santamauro

catFood is one girl’s mission to teach people the art of simple food with big flavor. She loves cheese, crafts, and her Kitchen-Aid mixer. She can often be found around fresh produce and curing the common cold with Matzo Ball Soup.

Cat Santamauro ‘brought the crowd to its knees’, says Rick Nichols of The Inky, with this recipe. Like a really bad magician, she gives up her secrets after the jump.

Cherry Rum Cake

This is a twist on the traditional favorite you’ll find on any Caribbean vacation. A friend once described rum cake as “exotic and intoxicating”. While I personally have never eaten enough of it to get drunk, I still like the description. 

Rum cake is usually made with walnuts, but I like the warmth of the pecans but if you prefer walnuts, go crazy. This cake is best served the next day because it give the Rum Syrup time to really soak in, but if you can’t wait there is no wrong way to eat this.

Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened.
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup spiced rum
• 1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
• ½ cup milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 lb cherries (Note: Have them thawed if you are using frozen. You can even use cherry pie filling just rinse away all the syrup in a colander.)
• ½ finely chopped pecans

Rum Butter Glaze

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup rum

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325.
2. Grease the pan you are using.
3. Cream butter and sugars till smooth.
4. Add flour, baking powder, pudding mix, and salt. Mix until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
5. Add milk, eggs, rum, oil, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
6. Sprinkle the bottom with nuts, then add the cherries, and finally add the batter.
7. Bake (instructions below)
8. When the cake has been removed from the oven prepare the syrup by heating the butter, rum, water, and sugar in a small sauce pan till sugar is totally dissolved.
9. Remove the cake from the pan and slowly pour the syrup over giving it time to absorb until all the syrup is gone.

Baking Instructions:

The lovely thing about this recipe is you can make it in any size pan. This particular recipe makes a bunt cake. Or a 9×9 sheet. In the photo I halved the recipe and used a 1 quart round pan. For parties I have made mini cupcakes which are wonderful. They all take different times. Your best bet is to check every 10 mins. until the toothpick comes out clean.

Baking Time:
Mini cupcakes take about 20 min
9×9 pans take about 45 min
Full bunt pans take at least 60 min

Times are approximate. Every oven cooks differently, so check it often.

– Cat Santamauro

catFood is one girl’s mission to teach people the art of simple food with big flavor. She loves cheese, crafts, and her Kitchen-Aid mixer. She can often be found around fresh produce and curing the common cold with Matzo Ball Soup.

Cat Santamauro loves cheese, apples, and all of you. To celebrate, she shares her recipe for homemade Baked Brie and Apple Crisps. Yumminess ensues after the jump.

Baked Brie With Apple Crisps

Baked Brie is a universally popular dish. It is also easy to make with ingredients that are probably in your pantry already. It is perfect for unexpected guests or a particularly indulgent snack. If you don’t have the time or inclination to make the apple crisps you can always either buy store bought crisps, or use crackers or toast points. There is really no wrong way to enjoy it.

Apple Crisps

Ingredients:

• 2 granny smith apples
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup water

Directions:

1. Slice apples into 1/16 in slices parallel to the core. It is really helpful to use a mandolin, otherwise have a lot of patience and a very sharp knife.
2. In a medium sauce pan heat water and brown sugar till simmering.
3. Add apple slices a few at a time for 15-20 seconds and transfer them to a wire rack to drain. Continue with all slices.
4. Place slices on an oiled (or cooking spray) baking sheet.
5. Bake at 200 for 2-2 ½ hours, or until crisp.
6. Store air tight for up to two days

Baked Brie

Ingredients

• 1 small wheel of Brie (it has to be a wheel not a slice or it won’t hold its shape)
• 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
• ¼ cup Apricot Preserves
• 3 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Amaretto

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Toast almonds for about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the apricot preserves with the brown sugar.
3. Microwave for about 30 seconds to melt some of the sugar.
4. Add Amaretto.
5. Spread mix over the top of the cheese wheel.
6. Place Brie wheel on an oven safe place that you will serve it on. (You can try to move it from a baking sheet to a serving plate, but it isn’t easy and it very well might rip) and bake for 15-20 min.
7. Let stand 5 min before serving. Serve with Apple Crisps.

– Cat Santamauro

catFood is one girl’s mission to teach people the art of simple food with big flavor. She loves cheese, crafts, and her Kitchen-Aid mixer. She can often be found around fresh produce and curing the common cold with Matzo Ball Soup.

Cat Santamauro gets sweet with her third Thanksgiving recipe. After Game Hen and Pumpkin Gnocchi, you really didn’t think she’d make a pie now, did you? Let’s get our Trifle on.

Chocolate Cranberry Trifle

This is a truly decadent dessert. The tartness of the cranberries is perfectly balanced by the rich, almost spicy chocolate cake, and the warmth of the double vanilla custard. This dish may seem very complicated but each step it is relatively simple. The best part is most of it can be made at least a day in advance, in some cases, several days. Furthermore, it is also best left in the fridge overnight before it served which gives the flavors time to mingle. So if you are cooking like crazy on Thanksgiving it is nice to be able to make the dessert a day ahead of time, you can have one less thing to worry about come crunch time.

Cranberry Amaretto Jam

Ingredients:

• 12 oz bag of cranberries (fresh or frozen, not thawed)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup Amaretto Liqueur

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan mix all ingredients and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 20-25 minutes.
2. Force through a fine sieve or food mill to remove skins and seeds.
3. Let cool completely. Can be made the up to three days before and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.

Double Vanilla Custard

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 2 tablespoon of flour
• Vanilla bean, split length wise
• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup heavy cream

Directions

1. It a bowl beat egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and flour till light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. In a saucepan over med-low heat bring milk and vanilla bean to a simmer. Remove from heat.
3. Remove vanilla bean, scrape seed back into the milk.
4. Add about 1/3 of the milk into the egg mixture. Stir to combine.
5. Pour the egg mixture back to the milk mixture and return to heat, whisking vigorously for 30 seconds to a minute or until thick. If it gets too thick or lumpy, remove from heat and add a little bit of milk and whisk like crazy until it is smooth.
6. Add vanilla, and set to cool completely. Place plastic wrap on the surface of custard to prevent skin from forming.
7. Whip cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into custard mixture. (can be made one day ahead, but if you do, bring it to room temperature before using.)

Dark Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• ¼ chopped dark chocolate
• ¼ cup cocoa powder (As dark chocolate as you can find, I like Hershey’s special dark cocoa)
• 1/3 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup well shaken buttermilk (or vanilla yogurt in a pinch)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Butter and flour a 9×9 inch pan.
3. In a saucepan over med-low heat, melt butter and chocolate. Remove from heat.
4. Add cocoa, coffee, sugar, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix well.
5. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
6. Add chocolate mixture and stir till just combined.
7. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40-50 min until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. Let cool completely

Assembling The Trifle:

Trifle is best served in a glass container so you can see all the lovely layers. You can serve it in one large dish, but I prefer to serve them in individual glasses, tumblers or wine glasses are especially nice.

Cut cake into ½ slices and rip to fit the container. Layer in the following order: cake, cream, jam. Repeat at least twice. You want the layers nice a thick, and make sure they go all the way to to the edge so you can see them. Finish with either the jam or the cream. You can also top with additional whipped cream or sliced almonds. Let sit in the refrigerator at least 5 hours so the flavors can spend some time together.

– Cat Santamauro

catFood is one girl’s mission to teach people the art of simple food with big flavor. She loves cheese, crafts, and her Kitchen-Aid mixer. She can often be found around fresh produce and curing the common cold with Matzo Ball Soup.

Cat Santamauro preps you with specialty Thanksgiving recipe number 2. Game Hen for a smaller party that don’t need Big Bird, ‘natch.

Game Hen

So, it’s Thanksgiving and you have nowhere to go. First order of business, Chinese takeout and a Road Rules marathon. On the other hand, you want the whole kit-n-kaboodle. You have been bombarded with so many holiday images of a golden turkey and all the trimmings, you can practically taste it in your sleep. But it is very hard to justify cooking a huge turkey for such a small audience. So I suggest a mini-bird. It isn’t turkey, but lets not stand on ceremony here, neither is takeout. They cook quickly and beautifully, and if you do have guests coming over it’s a unique and elegant way of preparing an old favorite.

The Bird

Ingredients:

• Two Cornish Game Hen cleaned of gizzards and rinsed (most of the time they already have the gizzards removed when you buys them so just rinse and pat dry)
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• ½ teaspoon Pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. If you’re using stuffing, place loosely inside the cavity and tie the legs together with twine
3. Arrange birds on a greased roasting pan and rub skin with butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 30 min.
5. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thighs (avoiding bone) registers 170 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes more.
6. Let rest about 10 min
7. Serve and enjoy.

Cornbread Apple Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 4 cups crumbled day-old corn bread
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup frozen apple cider boiled down to ¼ cup, cooled
• ¼ cup canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crumbled dried sage leaves
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg
• ¼ cup toasted pecans

Directions

1. On medium high heat, melt butter in a large saucepan.
2. Add apples and onion and cook until very soft stirring often about 10 – 12 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add crumbled cornbread.
4. In a separate bowl whisk eggs, cider, broth, salt, pepper, sage, cinnamon and nutmeg.
5. Mix with cornbread mixture. Add pecans.

Cooking Options

You have two choices, you can cook the stuffing in the bird or in a separate dish. Either way is completely acceptable. Personally, I like cooking in a separate dish because it gets a delicious crust on top whereas cooking in the bird can often leave it soggy. Because game hens are much smaller than a turkey (if you didn’t notice) they aren’t in the oven long enough to cook completely so you will partially cook it in a separate pan for part of it and then transfer in in to the bird. If you decided to cook the stuffing inside, you might have leftover and in that case you get to have both. Huzzah!

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350. Butter a 9×9 pan. Add stuffing, cover with buttered foil and bake for 40 min
Cooking in the Bird
Clean the cavity of hen and make sure there are no gizzard or anything like that. Loosely fill with stuffing and tie the drumsticks together.

Cooking Separately
Remove foil and cook for an additional 20 min.

– Cat Santamauro

catFood is one girl’s mission to teach people the art of simple food with big flavor. She loves cheese, crafts, and her Kitchen-Aid mixer. She can often be found around fresh produce and curing the common cold with Matzo Ball Soup.

Cat Santamauro preps you with specialty Thanksgiving recipes for the next three weeks. Pumpkin Gnocchi in place of Stuffing? You bet your sweet ass.

Pumpkin Gnocchi

For the next three weeks I am featuring some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes. After all, Thanksgiving is a Holiday based entirely around food. . .and giving thanks. . .for food. This pumpkin gnocchi makes for a very interesting side dish that can be an alternative to stuffing or potatoes. But if you are anything like me, you can never get enough starchy sides, I would make them all. Besides, pumpkin is a vegetable right?

Ingredients:

• 1 large potato peeled cut and cooked till soft
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 Tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 cups flour
• Salted water, for cooking gnocchi
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons rubbed sage sage
• 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
• 8 slices bacon
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• ¼ cup toasted pecans

Directions:

1. Cook the potato until soft and drain.
2. Force the potato through a potato ricer or sieve.
3. Let cool
4. Cut the bacon into 1 inch slices and cook in a medium pan until crispy remove from grease with slotted spoon and let drain on paper towel.
5. Stir together potato, pumpkin, egg, salt, nutmeg, Parmesan until well incorporated.
6. Stir the flour a little at a time until it forms into a dough.
7. Roll the dough into into ropes about and inch thick, slice diagonally into one inch pieces. If you want you can roll the dough on the side of a fork (which is the traditional way) but I find it doesn’t add much to the dish and is very time consuming, so I usually skip this step.
8. Add to rapidly boiling water. Cook until the gnocchi are all floating. About 3-4 minutes.
9. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl and coat with a little butter to keep them separated. Repeat until all gnocchi is cooked.
10. Heat 4 tablespoons of butter until it turns a golden color, careful not to let it burn. Add sage and cook 30 seconds more.
11. Remove from heat and add gnocchi and coat well.
12. Add nuts, Parmesan, salt, pepper, bacon and toss. Serve immediately with a wink and a ‘Prego’.

– Cat Santamauro

catFood is one girl’s mission to teach people the art of simple food with big flavor. She loves cheese, crafts, and her Kitchen-Aid mixer. She can often be found around fresh produce and curing the common cold with Matzo Ball Soup.

Recipe vixen Cat Santamauro accepts fall into her heart and oven with an Apple Cake ditty that’ll keep you warm during a frosty, rain-delayed Game 5.

Apple Cake With Almond Streusel Crumbs

Autumn is finally upon us. The calendar says it began on September 22nd, but it didn’t feel like fall yet. Now the air is getting crisp, the leaves are changing, and another fashionable layer of clothing is coming out of storage. So, to celebrate this time of year, I like to keep it sweet. This recipe is somewhere between cake and apple pie. Moist, crumbly, and all around wonderful.

Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cups sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 to 4 Granny Smith apples, seeds removed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup nuts, raisins, and/or currants (optional)

Streusel Almond Crumb

• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 finely chopped almonds
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Coat a 10 cup spring-form pan or bunt ban with cooking spray.
3. In a small bowl combine all ingredients for the Streusel Almond Crumb (flour, almonds, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt)
4. Mix with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
5. In a mixer fit with a paddle attachment: mix oil, eggs, and both sugar on high speed till thick and yellow.
6. In a separate bowl sift flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
7. With mixer on medium speed add the flour mixture slowly in one steady stream until just incorporated.
8. Add the apples and mix. Add vanilla and/or nuts or raisins if using.
9. Pour into prepared pan and top with Streusel Topping.
10. Bake for 70-90 min or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Serve with warm cider and a kiss on the forehead for maximum fuzziness.

– Cat Santamauro

catFood is one girl’s mission to teach people the art of simple food with big flavor. She loves cheese, crafts, and her Kitchen-Aid mixer. She can often be found around fresh produce and curing the common cold with Matzo Ball Soup.

Cat Santamauro loves her Momma almost as much as we love her secret recipes. With the Fightin’s ready whoop on Tampa, and the Eagles back in action this Sunday, she figured it was time to do some bar food for those who don’t like the smoke and cussing. How about some Black Pepper Chicken Fingers and Chips? 

Black Pepper Chicken Fingers and Chips

When I moved back to Philly I thought of all the good food I would have in my life again, including what I consider to be Chicken Fingers of the Gods. Most folks at home rock ’em frozen. Baffling. I got something with crunch, burn, and personality. And don’t bag out chips when you can make them sexier at home. I’m even gonna share a little secret about salt distribution. Impress your friends with frat boy palates.

Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:

• 1 pint buttermilk
• 1 lb chicken tenderloins, cleaned
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons of coarse black pepper or more if you’re wily. Not a typo. If you think it’s too much, you’re about halfway there.
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Place the chicken in a bowl with the buttermilk and leave covered in the refrigerator for 10 hours, or overnight.
2. Take a gallon plastic bag and fill it with the flour, salt, and peppers. Shake it. Like you mean it. 
3. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, letting some drip off and place them into the bag with the flour.
4. SHAKE IT. LIKE YOU REALLY MEAN IT.
5. Heat the oil to 400 degrees
6. Once the oil is hot drop a few finger in one at a time. Keep them all on the same layer.
7. Cook for 3-4 min on each side till golden.
8. Remove from oil with a slotted spatula and place on paper towel to drain
9. Let cool slightly and serve

Chips

• Potatoes (skin on or off, both work but if you leave the skin on scrub them really well)
• Oil for frying
• Seasoning of choice: Salt, Pepper, Malt Vinegar, Old Bay Seasoning. Tip: If you use regular table salt it has the tendency to just fall to the bottom of the bowl, leaving many lonely chips saltless. If you have a coffee grinder you can make powdered salt which will absorb into the chips leaving them all nice and salty throughout. Also, I use a mandolin to slice my potatoes for an even cut.

Directions:

1. Slice the potatoes to desired thickness (around 1/8 inch) and place in a bowl of ice water for at least an hour
2. Heat the oil to 400 degrees
3. Take the potatoes out of of the water in small batches and dry them off COMPLETELY. If you have ever dropped water into hot oil, you know why this is an important step.
4. Add a handful of potatoes to the oil and stir with a wooden spoon to make sure they are separated. (note: if you want the chips to be perfectly flat then make sure they are only on one layer, if you want them wavy and folded over then you can add more at once)
5. Gently stir occasionally to keep chips from sticking.
6. Watch carefully until chips achieve turn golden brown, 3-5 mins.
7. Remove chips from oil with a slotted spatula and place onto paper towels to drain, dab the tops to remove excess oil. It is important to get at much of the oil off the chip to ensure they are crispy and awesome.
8. Place into large bag and add seasoning. Shake it like WE mean it.

– Cat Santamauro

catFood is one girl’s mission to teach people the art of simple food with big flavor. She loves cheese, crafts, and her Kitchen-Aid mixer. She can often be found around fresh produce and curing the common cold with Matzo Ball Soup.

Meet Cat Santamauro. A NoLibs resident and sass-about-town, she’s got a rolodex of tasty recipes and techniques. She’ll stop by from time-to-time, learnin’ us a little something when it’s time to save money for alcoholic drinks. These are trying times, people. Expect lots of foodporn pics and straight talk about flavor. She believes in you, and we believe in her. We’re setting this off with a little food philosophy and a recipe for Chocolate Anise Biscotti.

Food is an art, but doesn’t need to be a challenge to create. When you come from a big family like mine, food is the tie that binds. What better way to show you care for someone than a big plate of chocolate chip cookies? Never underestimate the power of homemade chicken soup, or the satisfaction of providing a huge feast for the holidays.

Don’t stop there. Try and make everything. Nothing is too daunting. You can make things from scratch you didn’t even know were possible. Food presentation matters. We’ll talk. Let’s start with an easy dish that will impress.

Chocolate Anise Biscotti

Biscotti is delicious and remarkably simple to make. Crunchy without being hard, and slightly sweet. Even those who don’t like anise will enjoy these treats because the flavor is subtle and blends very fluidly with the dark chocolate.

Ingredients:

• ½ cups of whole wheat flour
• 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ¾ cups sugar
• 1 stick (½ cup) butter, soft
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground anise seed (it is really important that it is powder. If you can only find the whole seed you can use a spice/coffee grinder)
• 1 ½ cup mini chocolate chips (I really prefer the mini ones over the regular ones if you can get them, it disburses the chocolate better and ensures there is some in every bite, also it helps the biscotti keep its shape. But if you have to get the regular size, it isn’t a deal breaker)
• Sanding sugar for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place foil over a large baking sheet.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, salt, and baking powder.
3. In a separate bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and mix.
4. Add flour mixture and combine. Add anise seed, mix, then add chocolate chips.
5. Place the dough onto the baking sheet and form in into a 16”-3” log. Press the sanding sugar on the top of the log if you choose to use it. I suggest it, because it produces a beautiful sparkle when served.
6. Bake until light golden and fragrant, about 25-30 min. It should be set when you touch it in the center.
7. Cool 30 minutes.
8. Move the log to a cutting board and cut diagonally with a bread knife (or something long and serrated) each slice being about 1 inch thick.
9. Arrange the slices back on the baking sheet cut side up and bake for another 15-20 min until golden brown.
10. Cool completely. Pair with hazelnut coffee and a Jimmy Stewart flick.

– Cat Santamauro

catFood is one girl’s mission to teach people the art of simple food with big flavor. She loves cheese, crafts, and her Kitchen-Aid mixer. She can often be found around fresh produce and curing the common cold with Matzo Ball Soup.