Digestive Biscuits

I will be out and about a lot this summer, and the first leg of my little adventure starts tomorrow. That means that I'll be away from the kitchen most of the time and that I will not be able to post regularly, not the usual stuff in any case. But who knows, maybe the journey will bring new, fresh ideas and I'll be back before I planned :). 

I've got a few posts kind of lined up, but I prepared them in advance before and then decided not to let them leave the draft box for one reason or another. We'll see what happens this time around :). 

Before I take off I would like to share with you this digestive cookies that we have been enjoying lately.

The recipe comes from  the Guardian's  How to cook the perfect...  series by Felicity Cloake - check it out, I learned a thing or two  over time.

Felicity Cloake's perfect digestives

170g wholemeal flour
170g oatmeal
150g cold butter, diced or grated
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
60g dark muscovado sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp milk
150g chocolate (optional)

Sift together the flour and oatmeal in a food processor or large mixing bowl, then rub in the butter until it looks a bit like breadcrumbs.

Stir in the bicarbonate soda, sugar and salt and add just enough milk to bring it together into a coherent dough that will hold together well. Flatten into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170C (fan) Roll the dough out between two sheets of clingfilm, or on a very lightly floured work surface, until about 4 mm thick, then cut out your biscuits. Arrange, spaced out on the trays, and decorate as you wish.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden (12 if you prefer them soft, 15 for a crisper finish), then cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to crisp up.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and carefully dunk one side of each into the chocolate to coat, and set back on the rack to dry. Keep in an airtight container for a week or so.

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Cottage Cheese and Herbs Scones

I've always preferred savoury scones to plain ones and for a long time simple cheddar cheese scones were by far my favourite; but that is about to change I think, since this cottage cheese and herbs variation got full marks from all of us on Sunday morning. We had them with natural pouring yoghurt, olive paste tapenade and red radishes. I am thinking about chilli (or red radishes) enriched cream cheese next time, we will see.. 

Cottage Cheese and Herbs Scones

• 280 g flour, plus more for the work surface
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 120g cottage cheese
• 120ml cold milk
• 85 g very cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
• 2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs - I used  dill, chives and parsley

 Preheat the oven to 220C/425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt (to taste) and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the cottage cheese and milk in a separate bowl.

Scatter the butter and herbs over the flour mixture and cut the butter into the dry ingredients. You’re aiming for a lumpy mix with pieces of every size and shape, from pea-size to flake.

Pour the cottage cheese-and-milk mixture over the dry ingredients; use a fork to gently stir everything around until you have a soft dough. Squeeze a piece and it will hold together, then gently fold and knead the dough , just enough to bring everything together into a ball.

Dust the top of the dough very lightly, and  pat the dough out with your hands or roll it with a pin until it is about 2 cm high. 

Use the 5 cm cutter and cut the biscuits as close to one another as possible, then transfer them to the baking sheet spacing them at least 2 cm apart. Gather together the scraps; lightly pat the dough out again, working it as little as possible, and cut additional biscuits.

Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheet from front to back halfway through, until the biscuits are tall, puffed and golden brown.  Serve them warm.

Recipe by Dorie Greenspan

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