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For Julia

Date: Aug. 15th 2006
Category: Cookies and Bars, Italian Sweets
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Today is the great Julia Child’s birthday! To be honest, I probably would not have known that had it not been for Lisa of Champaign Taste who sent me an e-mail several weeks ago, inviting me to participate in an event to mark this occasion.

Like countless others, I am a fan of Julia’s and greatly respect the impact that she’s had on the world of food. I doubt there are many cooks or chefs who are as universally recognizable as Julia Child.

To be very honest, my history with Julia does not go back very far. As a child, my only awareness of her relates to some vague memories of a blooper show that showed her bungling a chicken all over the place. I seem to recall an uncle trying to imitate her distinctive voice, but beyond that, there wasn’t much Julia Child in my life while I was growing up.

The seeds of my respect for Julia were planted about five years ago, when my mother presented me with a copy of Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home. At the time, the Overburdened Bookshelf didn’t even exist and my cookbook collection consisted of a handful of cherished items. The first time I looked through the book, I was smitten.

Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home was quickly followed by Baking with Julia, a book that to this day is a constant source of inspiration and even comfort (nothing makes you feel better on a rainy day than looking through this book). And shortly after, I had the good fortune to see a few episodes of Julia’s wonderful "Cooking with Master Chefs" series on PBS. How could you not love that delightful woman in her charming little kitchen, proving time and time again that the act of preparing food fulfills some of our most basic human needs?! Joy, desire, satisfaction, warmth, fun … it can all be had in the kitchen.

Dscn2718_2I have not tried a significant number of Julia’s recipes, but at this time of year, and for this occasion, I decided to try the recipe for Cantuccini from Baking with Julia. While we are only a little more than halfway through summer, the fact is that the start of school is only a few weeks away. While my school days are long behind me, it’s hard not to experience that familiar feeling in the pit of your stomach as the first day of school approaches.

As a child, school day mornings all began the same way:  with a mug of warm milk coloured with a few drops of espresso and Italian cookies. Italian children everywhere are introduced early to milk and coffee (latte e cafè in Italian). The union of milk and coffee, blessed with cookies for dunking, is a tradition in Italian homes both in and out of Italy. I chose cantuccini because they are exactly the type of cookie we’d have in the morning. Drier than biscotti, cantuccini are not very sweet and are perfect for dunking.

In fact, I’m going to make myself a mug of milk and espresso, grab a handful of cantuccini and leaf through Baking with Julia. And as always, I will be amazed.

Ciao!

Cantuccini

Adapted from Baking with Julia by Julia Child.

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tsps. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1-1/2 cups whole, blanched almonds
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir. Add the almonds and mix well.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be dry.
  5. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and begin gathering it together. Knead it for a few minutes and you will see that it will slowly come together into a firm dough. Keep some flour handy in case it sticks.
  6. Divide the dough in half and shape it into two 12-inch logs. Transfer the logs to a baking sheet lined with parchment.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes. The logs will rise a bit and will be golden and lightly brown on the bottom.
  8. Transfer the logs to a wire rack and let cool completely.
  9. Once cool, slice the logs, on the diagonal, into quarter-inch slices. Lay the slices, cut side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
  10. Bake for an additional 10 or 15 minutes, or until the cantuccini are dry and lightly golden.
  11. Let cool completely. Cantuccini can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.
  12. Enjoy!

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38 Comments

peabody

08/15/06 at 8:50 pm

What a lovely tribute. I though about baking bread in her honor…but I already spendt 5 hours making lemon-lime tarts today so those will just have to do :)

Lisa

08/15/06 at 9:02 pm

How beautiful those are! I’m so glad you took part. As usual, your photo is amazing, and your article wonderfully evocative. I’m adding your link to the roundup now.

Jackie

08/15/06 at 9:32 pm

So lovely! With the milk and espresso - a picture perfect snack. I love Baking with Julia and so enjoyed the Master Chefs PBS series. I am going to make these and break out the book - it’s been awhile since I looked at it - thanks for reminding me how wonderful it is!

Rebecca

08/15/06 at 9:46 pm

I love Baking with Julia and have had good luck with the recipes in it. I also have fond memories of watching Julia as a little girl while my mother ironed; it must have been when she was first on TV, back in the 50s. What a wonderful woman and a gift to our culinary tradition; just think what she has done for cooking!

Tanna

08/15/06 at 11:05 pm

So these are Tuscan Biscotti? They look delightful - really love that almond! You often seem to raise questions - how is a cantuccini different from a biscotti - just drier and less sweet?
I am presently savoring both
My Life in France
and
Appetitie For Life
I can not think about Julia Child without feeling an extra warmth and love of life - she always seemed so engaged in life. Truely a beautiful good person.

Kat

08/15/06 at 11:06 pm

These look lovely! especially with the latte. Will keep this in mind and maybe give it a shot!

Alicia P.

08/15/06 at 11:22 pm

Happy Birthday Julia! And Ivonne, I’m sorry but your photos are TOTALLY ROCKING. I know I keep saying that but — seriously. I’m serious. Julia would be honored.

jasmine

08/15/06 at 11:59 pm

What a wonderful tribute!

I have three or four TV chef memories from childhood: a very sloshed Graham Kerr, the singing Italian chef that used to be aired on the Hamilton TV station, Madeleine Kamman and (of course) Julia. I still love watching Julia on PBS on Saturdays.

j

Natalia

08/16/06 at 12:44 am

What a coincidence! I’m baking biscotti right now and have the exact same idea of grabbing a handful and dunking them in some hot coffee. Great minds think alike!

Manisha

08/16/06 at 2:21 am

I had similar questions to some of the others before me. Is drier and sweeter the only difference? Does it crumble or is it crunchier than biscotti? You make it look and sound so easy!

To Julia!

sher

08/16/06 at 2:26 am

Ahh, how beautiful!! It warms my heart to see that incredible picture. It could be right out of Baking With Julia. You have really captured the spirit of her food. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to prepare that!!

Rosa

08/16/06 at 3:39 am

What magnificent looking Cantuccini!

Those pictures you did are awesome… Like Sher pointed out very well, within those pictures lies the biscotti’s soul! You could nearly smell them so much those photos are well shot…

connie

08/16/06 at 8:27 am

Ivonne- as usual your prose and photography alike are beautiful. My childhood too had only small funny memories of Julia Child, but now [after reading her memoir and Julie&Julia] I feel a deep appreciation for her. Great tribute to a great person.

Sue Vancil

08/16/06 at 9:13 am

Julia was certainly a chef and entertainer. I am currently reading “My Life in France” - Julia Child and it is story book life so far. What a lovely tradition for school morning breakfasts. In our house, it was hot chocolate and cinnamon toast! This Cantuccini reminds me of a recipe Tanna gave me for Mandel Bread. It also is great to dunk it in coffee or tea!

Orchidea

08/16/06 at 9:21 am

Buonissimi i Cantuccini… anch’io li faccio spesso, la ricetta che uso è simile alla tua però non metto ne la cannella ne la vaniglia.
Belle foto.
Ciao.

BNA

08/16/06 at 9:35 am

A fitting tribute!

ParisBreakfasts

08/16/06 at 10:12 am

I want to climb these Cantuccini mountains!Hmmm..those crevaces could be trecherous — still the scent of almond would revive me :)

Jessica

08/16/06 at 10:59 am

Ivonne,

What a lovely post. I can almost imagine being an Italian schoolgirl, and dipping my cantuccini into warm mugs of espresso flavored milk…oh how I wish that were a memory of mine! I guess I’ll just have to recreate it, and settle for being an American working woman, dreaming of life in Italy!!

I have this cookbook too, but have never made anything from it - but I have plans already for tonight, to go home and curl up with the book, and chose my own tribute to Julia.

Thanks as always!

JD

08/16/06 at 11:17 am

Now I know why the Mona Lisa smiles, it’s the biscotti!! Mystery solved.

clarice

08/16/06 at 11:19 am

Thank you for posting about Julia Child’s birthday. I did not know it. I remember every Saturday watching her show with my mother and then cooking a big dinner. It was a tradition !! Clarice

Sherri

08/16/06 at 12:39 pm

I am in the middle of reading “My Life in France”, Julia’s biography with Alex Prud’homme. It is a great book that reminds you why you love food & how great Paris is !

Dianka

08/16/06 at 2:23 pm

Happy Birthday Julia! Thanks, Ivonne, for your sweet message.. it has been a crazy summer! I’m so lucky to have people like you to remind me of how much I really love blogging! Hope all is well with you!! Wish I could share a some of that cappuccino and Cantuccini with you =) It looks lovely.

hag

08/16/06 at 2:56 pm

I loved watching Julia Child on TV, she always looked like she really enjoyed what she was doing. I remember watching the PBS show The Electric Company as a child and they had a character based upon Julia Child which they called Julia Grownup! This recipe is a great tribute…in Florence many years ago they served these with Vin Santo…very tasty.

Ellie

08/16/06 at 4:13 pm

Mmm, how well one of those would go with my morning cup of tea…!

Gustad Mody

08/16/06 at 4:59 pm

looks sooo crunchy!! yum!

Brian W

08/16/06 at 5:03 pm

That Cantuccini has been my go-to biscotti recipe since I saw them being made on Baking with Julia. As they explained, these ARE what Americans call biscotti, not some variation–biscotti just means biscuit in Italian, so it really refers to any kind of cookie. This particular recipe is not incredibly sweet and does tend towards the dry/crunchy, but in a GOOD way.

rachel

08/16/06 at 5:12 pm

Those look great! I love the idea of cookies in the morning!

Bea at La Tartine Gourmande

08/16/06 at 5:27 pm

MMMMMMMMM, those look GOOD!

Emily

08/16/06 at 6:55 pm

I hadn’t known about Julia’s birthday. I actually wasin Kentucky last week at a distillery, and they had a barrel of bourbon signed from her from a while back. Seeing her signature was probably a highlight of that particular tour, simply because I hold her in such esteem.
I have to agree with others on all accounts - they look excellent; I’m sure she would be pleased, and I definitely have to try them as well.

tiel S-K

08/17/06 at 12:14 am

thanks for this. I love the name. I married a man with a last name of ‘Canto’. Maybe I should make this recipe the biscotti della nostra casa!

naturegirl

08/17/06 at 7:26 am

I love coming here and finding exciting recipes! I know these as biscotti my husband will love that I have a recipe for them now! Thank you!

Callipygia

08/17/06 at 5:04 pm

How funny Ivonne, this is the second recipe that we both do…this is my staple “biscotti”, occasionally I like to stir in cornmeal and anise seed. Now we just need the Vin Santo!

Justice

08/18/06 at 3:44 am

Dovresti mettere anche i commenti negativi.Troppo comodo mettere solo quelli positivi. Non vale la pena leggere più il tuo blog.

Anne

08/18/06 at 7:32 am

Can you export these babies yet?

Karina

08/18/06 at 10:07 am

How sweet! Sorry I missed this - I finally, just back got on-line.

I had the pleasure of meeting Julia at an arts benefit we both participated in - a decade or so ago - and she was as gracious, funny, and warm as you’d expect.

She would loved these! Beautiful!

Geneve

08/20/06 at 8:07 pm

You’ve reminded me of the coffee that my Grandmother in Switzerland would make us - also diluted with freshly warmed milk and a few sugar cubes - yum! These cantuccini look so good - these are right up my alley ;).

Ivonne

08/29/06 at 10:50 am

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your lovely comments about the Cantuccini. They were delicious and enjoyed for many days after with coffee and milk.

Someone left me a comment about how Cantuccini should not be made with cinnamon nor should they be dunked in coffee and milk.

I am familiar with the practice of having Cantuccini with Vin Santo, a dessert wine.

However, in my house we like them with our milk and coffee!

Ciao!

kghop guvd

09/1/06 at 5:44 pm

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