Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti, Spicy Tomato and Clam Broth, Crusty Bread and Kiwi Fruit Sorbet

Our second cooking club get together was held last Friday and was another successful, fun day!

We were greeted with the wonderful aroma of freshly baked Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti which was as delicious to eat as it smelt and looked! Fresh from the oven it still had a "cookie like" texture and I could have eaten the whole plate!
This recipe can be found at http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/10743/cranberry-pistchio-biscotti.aspx

Main course was Donna Hay's Spicy Tomato and Clam Broth (from her "Seasons" cook book) served with Stephanie Alexander's Country -Style Crusty Bread.

We modified the broth recipe slightly so we could use the fresh produce we had on hand; cherry tomatoes rather than roma tomatoes and fresh red chillies rather than chilli flakes. The hosts had already prepared a fish stock from Stephanie Alexander's "The Cook's Companion" so it was very simple to put together the broth from this point.

The clams were frozen Vongole Clams from NZ so they only needed heating rather than cooking. You could easily use mussels rather than clams. After playing around with the quantities of tomatoes, chillies and fish stock we ended up with a tasty broth that was improved even further by the coriander it was served with. The cous cous, which was added to the broth at the end, gave the dish added interest and texture. I am not a great fan of tomato based seafood dishes but those that are tell me this dish rated at a 6 to 7 out of 10.

The Crusty Bread recipe was also modified as we didn't have time to let it go through each "rising process". We ended up letting it rise once and then placed it straight on a hot baking tray to cook rather than kneading it and letting it rise again. The dough spent about 25 minutes in a hot car to try and speed the rising process up further! We learnt how to plait the loaves (thanks to one of our clever cooking club girls) and they looked great! Hard to explain in words but you simply divide the loaf into 3 sections, lengthwise, leaving one end of the loaf attached, then plait the 3 sections and join the ends.

The resulting bread was beautiful; crisp outside and although probably slightly heavier than the recipe would have produced if we had followed it exactly, it was perfect to serve with the broth. Personally I would rate the bread a 9 out of 10 and I was surprised how easy it was to make.

The Kiwi Fruit Sorbet was another Stephanie Alexander recipe from her "Kitchen Garden Companion" cook book. We made it with Golden Kiwi Fruits as our host had a plentiful supply in her garden. This resulted in a different coloured sorbet but the flavour was fantastic. A light, sweet dessert which would be a perfect end to any meal, especially a lunch or summer dinner.

This menu was perfect for a ladies lunch and I think we all enjoyed cooking recipes we may not have attempted on our own. Looking forward to the next get toether in 3 weeks time which is going to have a Spanish theme!