Florentines
A Florentine Biscuit (or, simply, a Florentine) is an Italian biscuit made from setting nuts and candied cherries into a caramel disc, which is then coated on the bottom with dark chocolate. Other types of Candied fruit can be used as well. The origin of the recipe is in Florence, and hence the name.
They are crisp, delicate cookies that are pliable when taken from the oven, so can be rolled into cigars or kept flat. They are popularly dipped into chocolate or sandwiched with chocolate ganache as well. They are often served with tea and with ice cream. The recipe is credited to Austrian bakers working in Florence, who mixed sugar, butter, cream, almonds and candied fruit. The candied cherries and orange peel, which are not popular with Americans, are usually left out of U.S. recipes.
The recipe on the left contains candied orange peel, which seems more traditional, whereas the recipe on the right uses orange zest to add the flavor of orange.
Florentines
Epicurious | November 2010
You get a very big bang for remarkably little work in this fabulous pairing of chocolate and orange. These candy-like cookies are mostly fruit, nuts, and chocolate, with just a bit of flour to hold them together. Easy, elegant, and irresistible, they keep very well before they are iced. Once you add the chocolate glaze, be sure to refrigerate them.
Cookies:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups finely chopped almonds
3/4 cup finely chopped candied orange peel
1/3 cup flour
Chocolate Glaze:
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
1 ounce
sweet cooking chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon honey
In a saucepan, mix together the heavy cream, sugar and butter and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove it from the heat and stir in the chopped almonds, chopped candied orange peel, and flour. Drop the batter from a tablespoon into mounds about 3 inches apart on oiled and lightly floured cookie sheets and flatten each cookie with a wet spatula. Bake the cookies in a moderate oven (350°F) for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them stand for about 5 minutes. Remove the cookies to a wire rack, let them cool completely, and spread them with chocolate glaze [or drizzle with the glaze]. Chill them.
Chocolate Glaze
Melt 1 ounce each of unsweetened chocolate and sweet cooking chocolate over simmering water. Add the butter and honey and stir the glaze until the butter is melted. For an easier glaze, use melted bittersweet chocolate.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies
Florentines (Italy)
from Food Network Kitchens
1 3/4 cups sliced, blanched almonds (about 5 ounces)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Finely grated zest of 1 orange (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Topping, optional:
2 to 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely chopped, but not pasty. Stir together the nuts, flour, zest and salt in a large bowl.
Put the sugar, cream, corn syrup and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a rolling boil and sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, then pour mixture into almond mixture and stir just to combine. Set aside until cool enough to handle, 30 minutes.
Scoop rounded teaspoons (for 3-inch cookies) or rounded tablespoons (for 6-inch cookies) of batter and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 to 4 inches between each cookie since they spread.
Bake 1 pan at a time, until the cookies are thin and an even golden brown color throughout, rotating pans halfway through baking time, about 10 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool.
Repeat with remaining batter. Serve.
Optional chocolate topping:
Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very low simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, about 1 to 2 minutes more.)
For sandwiches: Drop about 1/2 teaspoon chocolate onto on the flat side of half of the cookies and press together with remaining halves. Return to rack and let chocolate set.
For chocolate decor: Drizzle melted chocolate over Florentines as desired. Set aside at room temperature until chocolate is set.
Busy baker's tips: Store baked cookies carefully, separated by parchment or waxed paper, in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Florentines are best stored separated from moist cookies and cakes.
5 dozen 3-inch Florentines, or 2 1/2 dozen 6-inch Florentine
