WooHoo! (again)

The Anise Plant

So I got a treasured recipe yesterday. It's an old family favorite, passed down generations and a genuine crowd pleaser. I have made this recipe many times, but I didn't have my own copy of it until now.

As a young man, when I was often broke come holiday seasons, I made goody baskets full of cookies for friends and family. These weren't filled with run-of-the-mill Toll House™ cookies, which I do love, but rather with rare treats the likes of which most don't get to partake.

I think my favorite to make, and the ones I most wanted to keep for myself were the biscotti. These traditional Italian cookies, baked till they were crispy, were great on their own and hard like a crouton. They rewarded the teeth with a good bite, yet once on the tongue they released the sweet blended flavors of butter, anise and nuts. If you didn't want to give your jaw a workout for this kind of experience then you had better have a proper freshly brewed coffee ready in waiting to baptize your little biscuits.

This recipe was typed on an old piece of paper, with handwritten notes along the margins and many stains. The paper had multiple creases and wrinkles from being stored in different locations and in between the pages of various books.

So now, without further ado, I DON'T give you the recipe.

Sorry, like my Alfredo sauce, this one doesn't get to go public. It's for family only, and if you aren't in my tree you don't get the recipe.

Don't let that get you down, though, as I am known to make these cookies in larger quantities, and they travel and store extremely well, so friends and acquaitances are highly likely to partake in the family treasure.

Family members who might wish to receive a watermarked and numbered recipe, complete with DRM that makes Apple's iTunes products look wimpy, contact me and be prepared to give hair and oral swab samples for DNA verification. Of course a non-disclosure agreement will be required and strictly enforced.

As for the Alfredo recipe, no one, save for one of my two sons (whichever one proves more worthy) will inherit that.