Author Notes
"These little ‘S’-shaped biscuits are traditionally made at Easter and are perfect for dunking in your milky coffee in the morning. They have a very subtle vanilla flavor with just the merest hint of lemon. Esse biscuits are particular to Venice but I have been unable to discover the significance of the letter S. The only explanation that has been offered is that Venice is known as La Serenissima – The Serene One, but this seems a little tenuous to me. If anyone has any clues, please let me know." — Norman Russell
Recipe and headnote republished with permission from POLPO: A Venetian Cookbook (Of Sorts) (Bloomsbury USA, 2012). —Food52
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Ingredients
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130 grams
unsalted butter
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120 grams
caster sugar
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250 grams
Italian 00 flour or pizza flour
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2
medium, free-range eggs
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2 teaspoons
vanilla extract
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Zest of 1 lemon
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Pinch of fine salt
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1 to 2 tablespoons
cold milk
Directions
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Place the butter and sugar in a food processor and whizz to combine into a soft paste. Add the flour, egg yolks, vanilla extract, lemon zest and salt. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk gradually, adding the full amount (or more) if the mixture is too dry to be pliant.
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Place the mixture on a floured work surface and bring together. Wrap it up in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 1 hour.
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Preheat the oven to 170° C. Cut off pieces of the chilled dough and roll into cylinders, 15 centimeters long and 2 centimeters in diameter. Bend into S-shapes and put onto a baking tray lined with parchment. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until only just golden.
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Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container. They will keep for a good few days.
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