When you want to get serious about cutting down on food, the BEST DIET in the world is FENNEL. This licorice tasting fat celery shaped thing is a real appetite killer. LIke licorice herb, it cures the munchies, acts on the pancreas in some strange way. Eat it fresh grown, raw, sliced with your vinagrette or ranch dressing . Eat a plate of that you don't need another meal for four or five hours as fennel kills appetite. Simmer fennel into your soups. The intense licorice flavor disappears when simmered in soup. Grow your own fennel as it's costly to buy and when your fennel goes to seed, best thing in the world, biscotti with coffee TWICE BAKED cookie, once as a loaf, then cut into slices baked again
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 tbs Triple Sec (on a budget? Grate rind off orange peels into any
cheap rum)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbs fennel seeds, lightly toasted
fine zest from one large orange
2 tbs "coffee sugar" (large granule, unrefined sugar)
finely chopped walnuts add a lot!
Sift together flour and baking powder into a bowl. In the bowl of an
electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter
and
sugar until light and fluffy. Add three eggs, one at a time. Add Triple
Sec
and vanilla. Gradually mix in flour mixture until combined. Mix in
fennel
seeds and orange zest.
Turn out onto a lightly-floured surface. Divide in half. Roll halves
into
12-inch logs. Flatten slightly and transfer to a Silpat-lined baking
sheet.
Beat remaining egg and brush over surface of dough. Sprinkle with coffee
sugar. Bake 35 minutes at 325F. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for
20
minutes. Reduce oven to 300F.
Slice logs on the diagonal into about 16 pieces each. Transfer to baking
sheets and bake for 8 minutes. Turn over and bake another 8 minutes.
Cool
completely. Store in air tight cannister.
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