Star Anise
A spice most commonly used in Chinese and Vietnamese
cooking. Star Anise (Illicium Verum) is a star shaped fruit from a small
evergreen tree or bush, native to China Use in stir-fries or with pork,
veal or duck. Don't confuse star anise with the more common anise
seed. While both impart a licorice flavor they are entirely
different plants.
photo by gourmetsleuth.com
To Use
Typically the whole star or individual segments can be added to the
cooking pot to flavor the ingredients. Your recipe may suggest grinding
first in a mortar and pestle so just use as instructed.
Star Anise Cookies
This simple recipe
from Gourmet Magazine only uses a few ingredients.
II N G R E D I E N T S
2 tablespoons star anise pieces
1/2 cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons balsamic
vinegar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
I
N S T R U C T I O N S
Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment
paper.
In a sturdy mortar and pestle, grind the whole star anise pods until fine.
Alternately you can use an electric coffee/spice grinder to finely grind
star anise.
In a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan bring anise, sugar, butter, and
vinegar to a boil over moderate heat, stirring, and boil 1 minute.
Remove pan from heat and stir in flour and a pinch salt until mixture is
smooth. Cool dough to room temperature. Form and bake cookies as
directed at below.
Roll level 1/2-teaspoons dough into balls and arrange 4 inches apart on
baking sheets. Bake cookies in batches in upper and lower thirds of
oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, 10 minutes,
or until cookies are flat and golden. Transfer parchment with cookies to
racks to cool. Cool baking sheets and line with fresh parchment between
batches.
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