Iron Chef America and "Battle Fennel" plus recipe request

Although I believe Iron Chef America "Battle Fennel" screened in July in America, it screened for the the first time in NZ last Saturday night and I was salivating over all the fennel dishes. Mario Batali won, of course, although the challengers, Rick Tramonte and Gail Gand, had some of the best plated food - across all their 'seven' dishes - that I've seen from anyone on the show. Pity the taste of their fennel got lost, but that happens with fennel bulb, which is so mild once cooked.

On Batali's side, I absolutely loved the thinly sliced fennel that was caramelized and then stood up like an ornate lyre (on top of what I can't remember).

Was also totally intrigued with the fennel cookies, so if anyone has a recipe for these, please post. Without a recipe I imagine it is a bit like a shortbread (with less butter) or cheese crisp recipe (without the cheese), with the addition of fennel spice.

Fennel is a fantastic match with sauvignon blanc (NZ), by the way.

[Jenise]

Fennel cookies? That was with fresh fennel, not seed?

Hi Jenise,
There may have been fresh fennel in the cookies, but the chefs were using fennel in all its forms, including fennel pollen and candied-coated seeds (a yummy after dinner treat, popular in Indian restaurants).
Anyway I am hoping someone here may have a recipe for fennel cookies -and I'm assuming ground fennel seeds or pollen (or both) was used.
Otherwise I will just have to experiment on the weekend.
Cheers,
Sue

Sue, here's a prize winner from a few years back:

National Herb Week (1995) Fennel Cookies
from the International Herb Association

2 cups sugar, divided in half
2 teaspoons fennel seed
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 T. orange juice
1 T. water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour

Add fennel seed to 1 cup of sugar and blend briefly in blender to break up some of the fennel seed. Some whole seeds should remain. Combine fennel-sugar with remaining cup of plain sugar and butter and blend together. Add eggs, orange juice and water and mix briefly. Mix remaining dry ingredients together, then add to creamed ingredients. Mix well. This will be a stiff dough.

Divide dough into 4 pieces, making a flattened ball of each. Roll dough out on floured surface until very thin. Cut with cookie cutter and bake on greased ornon-stick cookie sheet until light brown.

Makes 75 crisp 2-inch cookies.

I never made these, just like to follow the newsletter. Regards, Bob

Thanks Bob, Love the combination of fennel and orange - I use it a lot. Think I need to halve the recipe though.