Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Treat day coming back?

I asked Jeff if he thought we should make something to bring for the new co-workers and give them a little preview of what would be coming when we start their Treat Day after the move. He thought it was a good idea so I needed to find something that would survive the plane ride and not go bad.

Biscotti was the first thing that came to mind, so I went through my recipe stacks and picked out Pistachio, Dried Cherry and White Chocolate Biscotti. This recipe is similar to the many others we have made, but with a lot more mix-ins! Green pistachios, chewy tart cherries and chunks of sweet Callebaut white chocolate. The dough was a bit sticky, but if you wet your fingers before shaping, it was much easier to work with. I let these cool for much longer than I normally would in hopes of having them cut without breaking as much as they sometimes can. After about 25 minutes I started slicing with a serrated knife and was very happy with the clean cuts! The biscotti are pretty crisp, but do not require dunking to be enjoyed.

The day before Jeff was going to head into the new office, we went out to explore Frederick a bit and we came across this sign!

Which was, coincidentally, right next to this one... Hmm.. conspiracy to increase the Jam sales maybe?

We had to stop and check out this place - Mayne's Tree Farm. Apparently they also offer a ton of other fresh vegetables and have different events going on throughout the year. We were running late already, but there was no way we were going to pass this up! Here is a shot of one picking field.

Here are some of the sweet and deep red berries we were able to pick.

We picked an overflowing 4 quart box and paid around $6!

As we got back to the hotel, the intoxicating smell of the berries quickly filled the room. Since we had so many, I started to think of what else we could do with the strawberries. We went out later and got some good quality white chocolate and proceeded to put the microwave in the room to good use! I melted a bit too much so we went ahead and dipped the bottoms of the biscotti as well. This added just the right amount of a subtle creamy sweetness to the crunchy slices. Hopefully the new coworkers enjoyed the treats we brought in - not bad coming from a hotel room (well we did bake the biscotti before we left). The fresh strawberries were just too good not to share, even though Jeff tried to keep them all for himself!



15 comments:

  1. The new co-workers have no idea what a treat they're in for LOL! That biscotti looks yummy!

    Val

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  2. What a great treat. I bet all the co-workers are so glad Jeff is getting transferred there. (Plus I just have a feeling he's a real nice guy too, beside bringing treats.)

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  3. Oh man, that biscottilooks fine, and those strawberries -- indescribably pretty!

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  4. man...everyone is getting down with Strawberries...I need to go get some fresh ones before they are outta season! Great site yourself amigo!

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  5. I had some really yummy fresh MD strawberries over the weekend. I am having a tea party for my daughter at the end of the month, I may just have to serve a few strawberries dipped in white chocolate, they will look so neat. What white chocolate do you recommend?

    Any luck with the house hunting yet?

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  6. Beautiful biscottis!

    That's very nice of you! I bet the new co-workers are already looking forwards to Jeff's arrival!!!...

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  7. nice treat !!! how is is possible not to enjoy those biscotti ...and the strawberries ... I have like 2 dozen of them I didn't know how to fix ... I have my answer now ... I am so fond of these "fraises enrobées de chocolat" !!!
    thanks. ;)

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  8. Can I be one of Jeff's co-workers? ;-)

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  9. You would any Italian grandmother very proud! (heck... you make this Italian proud!) Awesome Job!

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  10. Val - hee hee.. I can't wait to get started baking stuff for them!

    Kalyn - He is, but don't let him know I said that!

    Lori - Thanks!

    Wheresmymind - It is definitely time for fresh berries!

    Linda - New post today will update you! I used Callebaut white chocolate - but have used Ghiradelli before.

    Rosa - Thanks!

    Sab - Enjoy the fresh berries!

    Erika - Sure! Let's see if they have any openings!

    TC - Thanks!

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  11. Hahaha! I love the English Muffin sign. How perfect that it goes with the berries, hehe.

    Mmmm, the biscotti and strawberries look delicious!

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  12. LOL -- know exactly where "English Muffin Way" is (and not because of the Thomas factory sitting on the corner!). We moved to the area two years ago and just had granite countertops installed in our kitchen from a granite place located on English Muffin Way. You will love this area!

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  13. yum! my office is in milpitas, california if you want to drop in with some strawberries and biscoti. :)

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  14. Dried cranberries (or "cranbunnies," as my nephew used to call them) work beautifully, too... and these biscotti make GORGEOUS holiday treats as well, due to their long shelf life and red/green color scheme!

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  15. those strawberries look so scrumptous, i miss them because they are no longer in season here in the southern hemishpere. So jealous

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