Benvenuta "La Befana" with Lavender Limoncello Stars

Were you naughty or nice? Coal or treats that is the question come the 6th of January in Italy. You just need to see what was left in your stocking to come to some sort of conclusion. I have written a number of posts over the years about the Italian tradition of La Befana, so I thought I might put up some links to blog posts past. Befana is an interesting mixture of what to me seems like Halloween and Christmas. Befana is a kindly old woman or witch on a broomstick who flies everywhere on the night before Epiphany or 12th night as it is also called, and either fills up your stockings, that should have been hung by the chimney with care, with treats or small presents, or you get a lump of coal. Fortunately, for Italian children, the lumps of coal have been transformed into black confections that make for a more more pleasant time taking your lumps of coal in stride.

Here are a few links to previous posts I've posted over the years. some have more of the story of La Befana's origins and others are recipes for dishes designed to serve on a Befana menu.

• "La Befana" has arrived
• "Le Befana" came and went
• Away with la Befana and a Carmelle di pasta per la Befana

Martha over at Go Italy has a great post on the origins of la Befana, that you might enjoy reading.

I also made some cookies this year called La Befana Stars. This version is a departure from the usual anise flavored variety and met with an appreciative round of approval. Unfortunately, I forgot to get a photo of them before they were all given away and eaten right up. Any size star cookie vutter will do. You can make a milk glaze and add sprinkles or just give them a dusting of powdered sugar. This was a great way to use some of my home made limoncello and abundance of lavender from our garden.

Head over to  "The Leftover Queen" to check out Jen's version of the La Befana traditional recipe for what are usually anise flavored cut out star cookies. You'll find the recipe in it's entirety. 

Crumiri Cookies, Not for Wimps

 

Why, you ask are these cookies not for wimps? Because they will build up your muscle trying to squeeze them through the open star tip on your pastry bag and maybe even have you saying a choice explicative or two as well. Yet, they really are a buttery corn meal "stick" and a delicious cappuccino dunker that hails from the Casale Monferrato region of Piedmont and worth the muscle building.

 

Domenico Rossi invented them around 1870 and named them after a popular drink at that time called Khrumiro. According to the Krumiri Rossi web site, when the king of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II died the biscotti's characteristic bend of the coookie was most likely introduced as a tribute to the king and his famous handlebar moustache. Later they patented the name and cookie. Perhaps the patent is why they are generally referred to as Crumiri by the rest of us. Anyway, what ever the name, they are quite tasty and worth adding to your cookie basket.  You will find them all over Turin in many of the pastry shops and they make their way on to the long line of biscotti on the grocery shelves as well. Making them is a great option if you don't have them readily available to you. I took the liberty to have my way with them and turned them into a small candy cane type shape for getting into the holiday spirit and you can to, but normally they are long sticks and bent mid way for an authentic shape. They are cooked until quite golden brown. I went a tad lighter as I love the contrast of the two colors, but going a bit further when you bake them yourself is quite acceptable and encouraged. Do give them a try and do enjoy them at other times of the year than the holidays as they are really worth the effort.

 

Crumiri Biscotti

Yeilds about 4 dozen small or less larger ones

Ingredients

280 g butter, room temperature ( 1 1/4 cup)

160 g sugar, caster or granulated (3/4 cup)

4 egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla extract

280 g corn meal(1 1/2 cup)

200 g pastry or all purpose flour (2 cup)

Method

Cream the butter and sugar together, with a whisk by hand  or with a paddle on a stand mixer.

Add the 4 egg yolks and blend well.

Mix in the vanilla.

Mix the corn and pastry flour together, blnding well.

Add the mixed flours in to the butter mixture, just to fully incorporate.

Fit a medium/large open star pastry tip into a pastry bag.

Take half of your mixture and place it into your bag.

Pipe out on to a papered sheet tray or greased and floured tray.

Repeat with the other half of the batch.

The dough will be firm so take your time and squeeze it out

with steady pressure.

For traditional shape

Pipe out long 4 inch lengths

Bend the cookies in the middle to look like a <

Or pipe in the shape of a 9 or a cane.

Bake in a moderate oven 325* for about 12-14 minutes.

Cool completely before storing.

 

2013 January update.

Here's another version I found that purports to be close to the secret original recipe.  I need to finish the ones languishing in my Krumiri tin before trying this one out. 

Secret Original Krumiri knock off recipe (allegedly)

Ingredients:
butter 210 g 

sugar 120 g 

vanilla
3 egg yolks
salt 

white flour 150 g corn flour 210 g

Mix the flour corn, flour, butter, sugar, egg yolks, a pinch of salt and vanilla. 

Let stand before piping out.