ITALIAN WINE BISCUITS - BISCUITS AU VIN

Not long ago, I bought a couple of cheeses (Red Leicester & Welsh Mature Cheddar) from "Jim's British Market", a British supermarket situated in neighboring France (Saint Genis-Pouilly). As it is not a delicacy we can eat on a weekly basis, we wanted to enjoy those yummy cheeses with a good glass of wine and the appropriate accompaniment...

I also had two wonderful jellies - Green Jalapeño Jelly From Texas, USA & Vin Santo Jelly from Italy - that I wanted to serve together with some good semi-hard gourmet cheese, it was the perfect opportunity to bake savory lush crackers. So, knowing that my "The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Companion" contains many great cracker/biscuit ideas, it was without surprise that I found what I was looking for. As expected, the baked goods I made were very successful and turned out right; KAF's recipes are always a safe bet,

Considering the fact that pepper and Porto go very well with Cheddar-style cheeses, it was self-evident that KAF's sophisticated "Italian Wine Biscuits" ("Biscotti Di Vino" in Italian) would be the perfect pairing. Needless to say that we were delighted by their wonderful taste and pleasant texture.

Those dense and bready "Italian Wine Biscuits" are a bit like a cross between crackers (not as hard and flat, though) and scones (not as soft and fluffy either). They are crisp, semisweet biscuits which have a addictive, yet non overpowering peppery fragrance, subtle flavors of red wine and a delicate touch of salt. Terrific!

~ Italian Wine Biscuits ~
Recipe by The King Arthur Flour.

Yields about 32 biscuits.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 Cups (10 5/8 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 Tsp Coarsely ground black pepper
4 to 6 Tbs (1 3/4 to 2 1/2 ounces) Sugar, to taste
1 Tsp Sea salt
2 Tsp Baking powder
1/2 Cup + 2 Tbs (5 ounces) Good dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon (non-alcoholic is fine)
1/4 Cup (1 3/4 ounces) Vegetable oil

Method:
1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, pepper, sugar, salt and baking powder.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wine and vegetable oil.
3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well till the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute (see remarks).
4. Place the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
5. Break off a piece of dough about the size of a walnut (about 3/4 oun ce), and roll it into a ball. Poke a hole in the middle of the ball to make a small "bagel-shaped" biscuit.
6. Place it on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
7. Bake the biscuits in a preheated 180° C (350° F) oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until they're golden brown (they'll actually look kind of purple; that's OK).
8. Remove them from the oven, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Remarks:
The greater amount of sugar will make a biscuit which is just about as sweet as a cookie; the lesser amount will yield a more "savory-type" biscuit.
I added a little more wine to the mixture which turned out to be a bit too dry.
You can also just roll the pastry (1.3cm/0.5 inch) and cut out rounds or squares.
Store those biscuits (at room temperature) in airtight containers for 3-4 days.

Serving suggestions:
Serve with cheese (perfect with Cheddar, Fontina or Pecorino), jalapeño jelly and with wine, grape juice spritzer, lemon-scented club soda or sangria.

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~ Biscuits Italiens Au Vin Rouge ~
Recette par The King Arthur Flour.

Pour 32 biscuits.

Ingrédients:
320g Farine blanche
2 CC Poivre noir, moulu grossièrement
4 à 6 Tbs (60 à 90g) de Sucre, selon goût
1 CC de Sel de mer
2 CC de Poudre à lever
150g/ml Vin rouge sec de qualité (Cabernet Sauvignon/sans alcool convient aussi)
53g d'Huile végétale

Méthode:
1. Dans un bol moyen, mélanger ensemble la farine, le poivre, le sucre, le sel et la poudre à lever.
2. Dans un autre bol, battre ensemble le vin avec l'huile.
3. Ajouter le mélange liquide au mélange sec et mélanger vigoureusement pendant 1 minute afin d'obtenir une pâte souple (voir remarques).
4. Emballer la pâte dans un film plastique et mettre au frigo pendant 1 heure ou toute une nuit.
5. Abaisser la pâte (1.3cm épaisseur) et découper des ronds (7cm) avec un emporte-pièce. Vous pouvez aussi découper des biscuits en forme de "bagel".
6. Mettre les biscuits sur la plaque de cuisson recouverte de papier sulfurisé.
7. Cuire les biscuits à 180° C (350° F) dans un four préchauffé pendant 35 to 40 minutes, ou jusqu'à ce que les biscuits soient joliment "dorés".
8. Retirer du four et faire refroidir sur une grille.

Remarques:
Si vous utilisez 90g de sucre, alors vos biscuits seront aussi sucrés que des cookies. Si vous ajoutez très peu de sucre vos biscuits seront plus salés (tels des crackers). a vous de choisir la quantité de sucre désirée.
J'ai dû rajouter un peu de vin car la pâte était un peu sèche.
Ces biscuits se conservent très bien 3 à 4 jours dans une boîte hermétiquement fermée.

Idées de présentation:
Ces biscuits sont délicieux avec du fromage (parfaits avec du Cheddar, de la Fontina ou du Pecorino) et de la gelée de piment jalapeño ou servis à l'apéritif avec du vin, de la sangria ou des cocktails.