Hot Chocolate With Espresso Lemon And Anise Food

HOT CHOCOLATE WITH ESPRESSO, LEMON, AND ANISE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except liqueur in heavy large saucepan. Whisk over medium-high heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth and comes to boil. Remove from heat; mix in liqueur. Divide among cups and serve.

ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE CHIP BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix together the flour, sugars, espresso powder, baking soda, anise seed, salt and chocolate chunks in a large bowl. Add the beaten eggs and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together (it will be fairly dry before you knead it). Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough, squeezing it and pressing it against the surface, until you can form it into a ball, 15 to 20 times. Shape the dough into a flat log about 16 inches long and 2 inches wide. Cut the log in half crosswise. Brush the tops with a little bit of water and sprinkle the top and sides with some turbinado sugar.
• Place the logs side by side on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• Transfer the logs to a cutting board and cut diagonally with a serrated knife into 1/2-inch slices. Place the cookies cut-side up on a baking sheet and bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Turn the cookies over and bake until golden on the other side, 8 to 10 more minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. The centers will be slightly soft at first, but will crisp up as they cool.

CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO CUPS

Steps:

• Heat the milk in a medium pot over high heat until hot, but not boiling. Reduce the heat to very low and add the espresso, chocolate, sugar, and vanilla. Using a whisk, stir the mixture until the chocolate has melted. Continue to whisk the chocolate mixture until frothy every few minutes for about 8 minutes, until the chocolate has completely dissolved into the milk. Pour into mugs and serve immediately.

LEMON AND ANISE BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Make sure there is a rack in the middle slot of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 1 large nonstick baking sheet & have 1 ungreased baking sheet ready.
• Toast almonds on the ungreased baking sheet for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
• In a small skillet, toast the aniseed, shaking the pan, over medium heat for 3 minutes or until fragrant.
• Process sugar & zest in a food processor until zest is finely ground.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, coriander, baking powder & salt.
• In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter & suger mixture together, beginning on low speed & increasing to medium-high, until combined well.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then reduce the speed to low & add flour mixture & aniseed, beating just until blended.
• With a rubber spatula, stir in the almonds.
• Halve the dough & place both portions on the buttered baking sheet.
• Quickly form each piece into a 12:x1" log, & place them at least 3 inches apart on the buttered baking sheet, then smooth the 2 logs with dampened fingers.
• Bake for 35 minutes, turning the baking sheet once, or until logs are golden brown & beginning to crack on top.
• Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer logs to a cutting board & with a sharp knife, cut each log into 1/8-inch slices.
• Arrange slices on the same baking sheet & return to the oven.
• Bake for about 16 minutes, turning the cookies over halfway through the baking, until crisp & golden brown on both sides.
• Let cool on a wire rack, then store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

HOT CHOCOLATE WITH HOMEMADE ESPRESSO MARSHMALLOWS

Steps:

• For the marshmallows:.
• Line a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan (33 by 23 by 5 centimeters) with plastic wrap and lightly brush with the oil.
• If using gelatin sheets, soak them in 2/3 cup (80ml) cold water in a shallow pan for 10 minutes. If using powdered gelatin, let bloom powdered gelatin in the 2/3 cup cold water. Then add the bloomed gelatin to the warmed up espresso and sugar mixture.
• Warm up the espresso with the granulated sugar and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the gelatin sheets and the soaking water and heat until the gelatin and sugar dissolve, about 2 minutes, stirring often.
• Using a hand mixer, beat the gelatin mixture until it resembles a soft meringue, about 5 minutes. Pour into the lined pan and let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.
• Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch, and sprinkle some onto a large cutting board. Invert the marshmallow onto the board. Peel off the plastic wrap and dust the top of the marshmallow with the cornstarch mixture. Cut the marshmallow into squares using a sharp knife. Dip the cut sides of the marshmallows in the cornstarch mixture and shake off the excess. (Serve immediately or store the marshmallows in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.).
• For the hot chocolate:.
• Heat the milk, cream, espresso and confectioners' sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Add the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour into mugs and garnish with marshmallows.

LEMON-ESPRESSO BITES

Steps:

• Process almonds and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in confectioners' sugar. Put egg whites and salt into bowl of mixer fitted with whisk attachment; beat on medium until soft peaks form. Add remaining granulated sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Mix in vanilla and lemon juice. Fold in almond mixture in 2 batches. Stir in zest.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Put batter in a pastry bag fitted with a 1 1/2- inch round tip (Ateco tip #803 or #804); pipe 2-inch rounds onto a nonstick baking sheet. Bake until golden and set, about 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
• Bring cream to a boil in a pan. Pour over chocolate and espresso in a heatproof bowl; whisk. Transfer to freezer and stir occasionally until thickened, about 6 minutes.
• Spread 2 teaspoons filling onto bottom of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies. Dust with confectioners' sugar.