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By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
From top left: Cookies from China, France,
Italy, Sri Lanka and Finland.

An international
selection of cookies

AN INTERNATIONAL LOVE AFFAIR

Star-Bulletin

Chef Sergio Mitrotti of Cafe Sistina offers Melicotti, from the Italian word meliga, or corn, a cookie from a large family of sweets made with corn. The recipe originates in a small country town near Turin, the area where Mitrotti grew up.

MELICOTTI

3 cups corn flour
8 egg yolks
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon peel or zest
Dash salt

Mix all ingredients. Form dough into walnut-sized balls. If dough is too dry to hold together, add a teaspoon of milk.

Place balls on a baking sheet and brush with more egg yolk. Press down with a fork, in the pattern of a cross. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until golden. Makes 3 dozen.

These 12-inch cookies are a Christmas Eve tradition in Marseilles in the south of France, home of George Mavrothalassitis of Chef Mavro. They are among the 13 Christmas desserts of Provence.

The cookies are served family-style, with each person breaking off their own piece.

LA PUMPE A I'HUILE D'OLIVE

3 ounces cake yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 pounds flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
1 tablespoon anise seeds
1 egg yolk

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water.

Measure 8 large spoons of flour into a bowl; add yeast. Knead and shape into a ball. Cut a cross deep into the ball. Place the dough in a mixing bowl filled with warm water until the dough rises to the surface, about 15 minutes (if dough comes up to the surface right away, keep it in warm water for 7 more minutes).

Place dough in a large bowl with remaining flour, sugar and olive oil, orange blossom water and anise seeds. Knead, adding a teaspoon of warm water from time to time to keep dough very soft.

Cut dough into two balls and place on a floured surface. With a rolling pin, flatten each ball into a 12-inch circle. Place cookies on a round cookie sheet oiled with olive oil. Cut a 2-inch cross in the center of each quadrant of each cookie (4 crosses per cookie). Widen the crosses with your fingers. Let cookies rise 7 hours in a warm area. Avoid drafts.

Mix egg yolk with a teaspoon of water and brush each cookie with the mixture. Place cookies on lowest rack of oven. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes. Increase heat to 350 degrees and bake 20 minutes more. Makes 2 cookies.

The following recipes are pictured on B-1.

CHINESE ALMOND COOKIES

Titus Chan

1-1/2 cups shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 cup almonds, finely chopped
Blanched almonds or red food coloring
1 egg white
1 teaspoon sugar

Cream shortening and sugar together. Beat in egg and almond extract. Sift flour, baking soda and salt and add to the creamed mixture. Stir in coconut and almonds. Form dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press thumb gently in the center of each ball. Fill the depression with an almond, or touch it with the end of a chopstick that has been dipped in red food coloring. Whip the egg white slightly, add sugar and mix well. Brush the mixture on top of the cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 4-5 dozen.

NANAKHATAI

Kusuma Cooray

3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons yogurt
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
10 cardomoms skinned and ground fine
2 pinches black pepper
16 blanched almond halves

Cream ghee and sugar; whisk in yogurt. Sieve flour, baking powder, cardomoms and pepper; mix with creamed sugar. Knead and make into 15-16 balls. Add more yogurt if mixture is too dry. Flatten each ball and place on a greased baking sheet. Press in the halved almonds. Allow to stand for two hours.

Bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.

JOULUTORTUT

Goran Streng

Filling:
2 cups pitted prunes
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar

Pastry:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 cups heavy cream, whipped
1 cup butter, softened

Glaze
1 slightly beaten egg
2 tablespoons milk
Sugar for garnish

Cover prunes with water and simmer until soft. Puree and add lemon juice and sugar. Cool.

For pastry, mix flour and baking powder. Stir in whipped cream and knead in softened butter. Shape dough into a ball and chill one hour.

Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Fold into thirds, then roll out to seal the layers. Turn dough and fold again into thirds, making into a square. Roll out to an 18-inch square. Cut into 36 3-inch squares. Make cuts from corners toward centers of the squares, each about 1-1/2 inches long. Place a spoonful of prune filling onto the center of each square, Shape into pinwheels by lifting every other split corner over the filling.

Mix egg and milk; brush stars with glaze. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake on parchment paper or lightly greased baking sheets at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Makes 3 dozen.

OATMEAL CURRANT COOKIES

Jean-Marie Josselin

3/4 cup flour
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon allspice
Pinch salt
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/8 cup sugar
1/2 brown sugar
3 eggs
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
3 cups dried raisins (1/2 yellow, 1/2 regular)
2 cups chopped walnuts

Sift together dry ingredients and spices. Soften butter and sugar, then mix until fluffy at low speed. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour mixture and beat until well-combined. Refrigerate 24 hours.

Drop in 3-inch rounds 3 inches apart on baking trays covered in parchment. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Cookies will be crispy and flat. Makes 4 dozen.

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