In his new book Payard Cookies ($22; amazon.com),
French pastry chef François Payard, owner of his renowned eponymous
patisserie, teaches readers about the power and importance of the humble
cookie. He writes: “A platter of cookies adds a nice touch, a little
something extra, at the end of the meal and invites lingering around the
table and a cup of coffee or a glass of grappa.”
We
couldn't agree more and this holiday season, we’ll be making Payard’s
Sesame Florentines, which were inspired by his favorite packaged Middle
Eastern sesame bars and only require five ingredidents. Seriously! (FYI,
these guys take well under an hour to prepare and are a few
sophisticated notches above the classic snickerdoodle and chocolate chip
variety.) Try the pleasantly easy recipe below.
Sesame Florentines
Makes: About 24 cookies
Ingredients:
3½ tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp honey
¼ cup sugar
½ cup sliced almonds, coarsely chopped
2 tbs sesame seeds
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and heavily spray two mini muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray.
2.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and honey.
Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, almonds, and sesame seeds.
Spoon about 1 tsp of the mixture into each mini muffin cup. Bake for
about 15 minutes, or until the florentines turn light golden brown.
3.
Remove from the oven, and let cool slightly. Place a sheet of waxed
paper on your work surface. While the pan is still warm but the
florentines have begun to firm up, turn the pan over and tap the bottom
so that the florentines fall onto the waxed paper. If you wait too long
and have trouble removing them, place the pan back in the oven for about
1 minute, just enough to warm up the pan and soften the cookies. Let
the florentines cool completely on a cooling rack, then store them in an
airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks, placing
waxed or parchment paper between the layers to keep the florentines from
sticking to one another.
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