Canistrelli Biscuits
Corsican cooking, recipes and discovering of the corsican flavours
The most traditional of all Corsican dry biscuits. You will find them in any shop, but not all of them will be good. There are very few manufacturers of fine “Canistrellis” and their names are passed around like those of good butchers.
THE RECEIPE FOR CANISTRELLI
There are various recipes for “Canistrelli”, most of them based on either eggs or wine. Here is one I think you will like:
For a pound of flour, you will need 200g of refined sugar, 100g oil, 1 glass of white wine, 1 packet of yeast, 1 small liqueur glass of Pastis, or the equivalent amount of anise grains.
Mix the flour, sugar and yeast. Form a hole in the middle of the mixture and pour the oil, the white wine and the Pastis into it. Using your fingers mix everything into a compact mass, but do not knead. With the palm of your hands, press the dough (no thicker than 2 to 3 cm) on a flour-covered board, and with a pastry cutter cut out small pieces of various shapes.
Preheat the oven at a temperature of 175 C, place the pieces of pastry on a slightly greased baking tin leaving some space between the individual pieces. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes until they are golden brown. Careful: the temperature must be well regulated, the “Canistrelli” shouldn’t be baked too hot or they will get burnt on the bottom.
