Pistachio and Dried-Cherry Biscotti from the new Bon Appetit

A year and a half out and I still miss Gourmet magazine.  Like a not-so-good friend, I took Gourmet for granted, thinking it would always be there for me.  Now I want to hang out and it’s gone.  The magazine’s sudden departure from the food scene hurt a little more given the publisher, Conde Nast, chose to keep their other food title, Bon Appetit, around instead.  From an advertising and overhead perspective it must have made good business sense but from an historical, visual and content perspective, there was no comparison between the grande dame, Gourmet, and it’s younger, less sophisticated relation, Bon Appetit.  In my opinion, that is.

My disappointment comes from the loss of Gourmet, not the survival of Bon Appetit and I don’t mean to pick on the latter.  It’s not that Bon Appetit’s recipes are bad; in fact they are generally good and reliable.  But a food magazine should be enticing and Bon Appetit underwent a redesign a few years back that I found unappealing enough to cancel my subscription.  Starting on the cover, the food was often shot close up with harsh lighting, sometimes in a messy, half-eaten state - the culinary equivalent of a mug shot.  I’m pretty sure it was meant to be modern, edgy and cool, but in the end it was plain unappetizing!

Unappetizing is not how I would describe this month’s newly redesigned Bon Appetit.  Adam Rapoport was brought over from GQ to be the editor-in-chief and he has given the magazine a more natural, hip look. The articles and recipes are interesting and accessible. The photography is lush and ironically (or not), more Gourmet-like.  I find the graphics too busy for my taste, but I’m from the less-is-more school so don’t mind me.
 

My first impression is the new Bon Appetit looks and sounds too similar to other food magazines to truly stand out but, like a new restaurant, it’s only fair to give it time to find its legs.  For now, there's an improvement and I’m rooting for it to succeed.

The May issue is all about Italy, a safe bet for a re-launch because, well, who doesn’t love Italian food?  Inside I found a biscotti recipe from Tribeca's Locanda Verde that made a terrific housewarming gift for a friend who had recently moved to a new apartment.  The distinctive combination of flavors in this classic Italian cookie - pistachios, cherries, orange, lemon, and oats - made for a memorable sweet treat and hopefully eased the turmoil of her move just a bit.

Pistachio and Dried-Cherry Biscotti

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Using anything but olive oil in an Italian recipe seems wrong so I swapped out the vegetable oil for a mild olive oil. 

Don’t have almond extract on hand?  Neither did I.  Add that much more vanilla extract instead.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

½ cup old-fashioned oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

1 cup dried cherries

1 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Combine first 6 ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle.  Blend on low speed for 30 seconds.  Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and next 5 ingredients.  Add egg mixture to flour mixture; beat until combined.  Fold in cherries and pistachios.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface; divide in half.  Using floured hands, shape each dough half into a 12” long log.
  

Brush off excess flour; transfer logs to prepared sheet, spaced 5" apart.  Flatten each log into a 2” wide strip.  Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until browned and set, about 30 minutes.  Transfer to a rack, let cool for 15 minutes.  Reduce oven to 250 degrees and arrange 1 rack in top third of oven and 1 rack in bottom third.

Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper.  Transfer biscotti to a work surface.  Using a serrated knife, cut each strip diagonally into 1/3”-thick slices.  Arrange slices, cut side down, on baking sheets.

Bake biscotti, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until crisp, about 40 minutes.  Transfer baking sheets to racks; let cool.
 

Makes about 2 ½ dozen

Calvados Applesauce with Butter Walnut Crumbs

Fall finally feels like it’s here for keeps; the temperature has dropped enough that I need a light jacket to run around town in,
 

the shadows are growing longer, the daylight growing softer, and the ornamental grasses in the park have donned their tassels.

On Saturday at the Tribeca farmers market my favorite edible sign of fall, apples, was out in full force.

I eat an apple every (week)day pretty much without fail. I’m a creature of habit when it comes to eating (see my egg post) and when I’m at work I have an apple around 3:00 or 4:00 because A) it’s good for me and B) I’m always hungry.

I buy my apples from Terhune Orchard on Saturdays at Union Square throughout the winter, spring, and summer because their apples always retain their crisp texture. I’ve tried buying from other farmers and I hate to say it but they often disappoint; their apples are usually soft and mealy, which is just horrible in an apple. Part of an apple's appeal is biting into it and hearing a snappy crunch...

What sets Terhune apples apart is the way they are stored; in addition to keeping them in cold storage at a low temperature (common practice on farms), the room is also equipped to maintain the air’s oxygen concentration at low levels (not so common). Both these factors combined vastly increase the life of an apple.

But it’s fall now so it doesn’t matter which farm I buy my apples from; they are all fresh off the tree, crisp, and delicious. Prospect Hill Orchard comes to the Tribeca farmers market from Ulster County, NY and has a nice selection of apples, including heirloom and organic, as well as the usual suspects.

For the past month I’ve been hoping to cook or bake something with apples but have failed miserably; there never seems to be enough hours in the day. On Saturday morning Ruth Reichl’s tweet sent me over the edge: “Silver sky. Storm’s end. Baking bread perfumes the house with its warm, brown scent as apples, butter, Calvados melt into chunky sauce.”

That’s it; apples here I come! I’m starting with an applesauce dessert and who knows what will be next. Stay tuned.

Applesauce with Butter Walnut Crumbs
Adapted from Gourmet, December 2004

This is so easy! No excuses, people!

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1 slice firm white sandwich bread with crust, coarsely ground in a food processor (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup bottled chunky applesauce (I made me own; see below)

Garnish: lightly sweetened whipped cream

Heat butter in an 8-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook nuts and bread crumbs with a pinch of salt, stirring constantly, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes.

Spoon applesauce into a goblet or other glass, then sprinkle with crumb mixture.

Calvados Applesauce
Adapted from Gourmet, January 2003

Given whom the tweet came from, I knew exactly where to find a Calvados applesauce recipe. I went to Gourmet online and there it was.

I doubled the recipe and halved the amount of sugar originally called for. I also used Golden Delicious apples because the Gala’s had sold out by the time I got to the stand.

I’m sure you can leave the Calvados out if you want but I found it added a nice depth of flavor.

1 lb Gala apples
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons Calvados

Peel and core apples, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Bring apples, water, sugar, zest, and cinnamon to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15 minutes.

Remove lid and simmer until most of liquid is evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes. Add Calvados and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Mash apples with a potato masher or a fork to a coarse sauce, then cool.