Florentines

[nonelvis]

Every year, I give my business partner a homemade baked good for the holidays. This year, it's Cook's Illustrated's florentines, which have just a hint of orange from marmalade and zest, and the perfect crunch. It's really, easy, too, provided you have a food processor to grind the almonds and enough parchment paper for all the batches.

Grab the recipe now if you want it, as Cook's takes them down within a month or two of posting. This one's well worth making any time of year.

Comments

[nonelvis]

I'm not kidding when I say it's easy! A couple of notes:

* I was dubious when Cook's said you wouldn't need a candy thermometer for this, and instead gave detailed descriptions of how the heated mixture would look when it got to the right point. So I used a candy thermometer, and right on the dot of 238° (soft ball), the mixture looked exactly the way they said it would.

* Do not underestimate the amount of counter space you will need while cooling these. They are not kidding when they say to put only six on a baking sheet; I tried eight, and got a couple that nearly touched. Fortunately, the porch was cool enough that I was able to let the chocolate-covered ones rest there; lord knows I didn't have enough room in the fridge.

[gritsinmisery]

Both really good things to know. I've got a 100+ inch dining room table that serves as computer desk and flat-file most of the year; I'll probably press it into service.

Long ago and far away, our ancestors made caramel, fudge, and hard candy all without the aid of a candy thermometer. I do still remember how to test for each stage… And somewhere, in a 70-some-odd-year-old donut recipe, I also have how to test for deep frying oil temperatures, too. :-)

Doesn't mean I trust anything other than a thermometer m'self.

I find it interesting that they just drizzle the top with chocolate, instead of coating the bottom like the ones I've had from Italian bakeries. Hella easier.

[nonelvis]

Their article mentions why they went with the chocolate drizzle -- if you do the traditional bottom coating, you end up melting far more chocolate than you need, which is wasteful. The amount they call for gives you just enough for a drizzle over every cookie, which turns out to be enough chocolate flavor (IMO) on the cookies anyway.

If you make them, I hope you enjoy them! And merry Christmas :)