Saturday, April 19, 2014

Fairy Tale Fusion - A. F. Stewart, Author



Fairy Tale Biscotti

6 Tbsp unsalted, room temperature butter
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp honey
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
2 ¼ cups flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup finely chopped nuts or dried fruit, or a fruit/nut mixture

Notes:
You can use salted butter instead of unsalted, but this makes the recipe’s saltiness hard to control. If you do use salted butter, you may wish to reduce the amount of additional salt slightly.
As the nut/fruit additive, I like to use either almonds, macadamia nuts, or dried cranberries. Chop the nuts very fine; it helps with the final cookie.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In large bowl, beat butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until pale and creamy.
Beat in eggs, honey, vanilla and lemon rind.
Add flour, baking powder and salt (best sifted together first). Blend to combine and stir in nuts/fruit.  Halve dough, and with slightly oiled hands, roll halves into two logs, roughly 2 inches by 12 inches. Place logs on baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.

Remove from oven and place on rack to cool.  When cool, transfer to a cutting board and slice, at a 45 degree angle with a serrated knife, into ¾ inch segments. Use firm strokes to reduce crumbling. Put cookie slices back in oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, turning once. Cool and store in an airtight container.



Fairy Tale Fusion - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

Have you ever wondered about what happened to all of our nursery rhyme characters?  All of the stories ended with "They lived happily ever after" but is that true.  Well, according to A. F. Stewart and the story land reporters, along with the story land police, that wasn't really the case.

Do you remember Alice who went to Wonderland?  Well, there was a grand wedding of the Mad Hatter and Alice last Sunday.  It was a stunning affair, utilizing a red and white wedding theme with a playing card motif.  The bride looked dazzling in a crystal encrusted white dress with cap sleeves, offset with a red embroidered sash.  Bridesmaids included the bride's sister, the Duchess, and the Cheshire Cat.  The best man was the White Rabbit.

Have you ever wondered what ever happened to The Three Little Pigs?  Well, according to reporters Spider Bramble and Aurora Gossamer with the Fairyland news, there appears to be a manhunt for the First Little Pig, in connection with a tragic domestic incident that left the other two Pig brothers butchered.  A late night dispute, over what seemed to have been long simmering family grievances, went terribly wrong, resulting in the stabbing death of two of the brother Pig.

And what ever happened to the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe?  She went missing fourteen days ago, after apparently suffering a nervous breakdown.  This is the latest in a string of mishaps, including her arrest on drug charges and the removal of her children into foster care by Child Services.  The Fairyland Police tracked her down and evidently found her trying to make a size 12 Oxford loafer her new home.  She is now undergoing psychiatric observation and rehab.

To my surprise, and I'm sure yours too, there apparently wasn't a Happily Ever After for these beloved childhood characters.  Fairy Tale Fusion will take you back in memories as you find out what really happened to Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Tom Piper, Sleeping Beauty  and even Beauty and the Beast. 

I've read other books written by A. F. Stewart and enjoyed them and this book was just as enjoyable.  Her version of these bedtime stories are not exactly great for children but they sure did give me a chuckle and I think it will you too.



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