Sunday, September 20, 2015

CUCCIDATI

Cuccidati
In New Orleans these are for the St Joseph's Day altars.  They are the ancestors of Fig Newtons,  but better.

FILLING
8 oz. black figs
3.75 oz. raisins
scant 2/3 C. honey
1/4 C. brandy
1.5 tsp orange zest
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp ground cloves, nutmeg
1 TB cinnamon
4 oz. almonds, roasted
3 oz. walnuts, roasted

Coarsely chop nuts, remove from food processor.  Combine the rest; when homogenous, add nuts.  Let chill at least 8 hours.

DOUGH
4 oz. AP flour
1 C. + 2 TB sugar
1 TB baking pwdr.
1 tsp salt
8 oz. butter, cut into small cubes
2 large eggs
1/2 C. whole milk
1.5 tsp vanilla
1.5 tsp lemon/orange zest

Pulse to mix dry ingredients in f.p., then cut in butter until fine crumbles.  Dump into bowl and stir in wet ingredients.  Form dough into 2 rectangles; chill at least 8 hours.

Roll one rectangle 13" x 10" and cut into 4 strips parallel to the 10" sides.  Fill the center of each resulting 10" x 3/25" rectangle with a "worm" of filling, then flatten this somewhat.  Wrap dough around filling a la Fig Newtons, flip so that seam side is down, cut into 1/2" slices.

Cook 15-20 minutes in a 375 degree oven until golden brown; remove from sheets after 3 minutes to rack.  Overcooked yields a less buttery flavor.

Glaze with 1 cup 10x, 1.5 tsp vanilla, 1.5-2 TB brandy.  In Italy these are often finished with colored sprinkles.

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