In the run-up to the festive season, or anytime really, I feel quite satisfied with myself if I have a little hoard of good things to eat on hand for whoever might drop in, and these classic Italian biscuits are close to perfect because they accompany a lovely glass of sweet wine just as easily as a cup of tea.
They're called Ricciarelli, and they're a kind of macaroon that originated in Siena in the 14th century, when a certain Italian gentleman, Ricciardetto della Gherardesca, came home from the Crusades and brought the recipe with him.
The basic idea combines ground almonds, sugar, and egg-whites along with a small amount of bitter almond, so the great thing about Ricciarelli is that they were gluten-free many centuries before it was known that gluten even existed.
Chewy on the inside, rough and ready on the outside, and generously doused in icing sugar, they’re made in Italy today pretty much as they would have been way back then. They’re also especially popular at Christmastime, which is quite understandable.
Jan
RICCIARELLI
Makes around 20
125 gm caster sugar
2 lemons, zest only
100 gm pure icing sugar
300 gm almond meal
2 large eggs, whites only
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of good quality vanilla paste
¼ teaspoon bitter almond extract
Icing sugar to dredge
Preheat oven to 170°C. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
Mix lemon zest with caster sugar in a large bowl so that the sugar absorbs the lemon oils. Sift in the icing sugar, stirring to combine, then add the almond meal and mix again.
Place the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a clean bowl and whip to form firm peaks. Add to the almond and sugar mixture along with the vanilla and almond extracts. Combine well to form a dough.
Sift some extra icing sugar into a flat dish. Roll pieces of the paste into balls the size of small walnuts, then press them into the icing sugar, flattening them into lozenges, and covering them with sugar.
Lay them on the baking paper and leave them to rest for at least half an hour, or longer if you have time, so that the surface dries and stiffens.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until barely coloured. The biscuits will still be soft when they're removed from the oven. They will firm up as they cool but they should remain chewy inside. Dust with further icing sugar before serving.