Pink Champagne Biscuits

A number of years ago we lived in downtown Bellevue, Washington just a few blocks from a small French import shop the name of which, now eludes me.  I stumbled upon the shop while they were unfortunately in the midst of closing their doors.  Many of the items were on clearance and regretfully for them and fortuitously for me, I was able to purchase some wonderful French linens and these delicious little biscuits.  

Always a sucker for something pink, sweet and French I snapped them up really not caring if I'd like them or not. In my defense they were pretty!  And really, have the French ever been known for bad pastry?? And unsurprisingly it was love at first bite.

Pink Champagne Biscuits or Biscuits Roses de Riems are delicious cookies made specifically for dipping in wine; red, white or champagne.  I have even heard they taste delicious dipped in milk or even tea. Wouldn't this be a lovely Valentines Day gift along with a bottle of your favorite Champagne?  Pink Champagne even?

Hailing from the Riems region of France they have been made there by the Fossier Company since 1691.  There is no champagne in the biscuit rather the champagne is in reference to what you do with it. Finding these biscuits for purchase in the U.S. is next to impossible.  Every year around Valentines Day my mind turns to these and I begin to crave them.  Luckily I recently found them on Amazon, so today I placed my order, but will now have to wait.  Waiting is not my strong suit.  Soooo,  I did some looking and found some recipes.

For centuries the French have been able to keep this beautiful biscuit a relative secret.  Most of the recipes available are only in French.  I did however find a couple to experiment with.  Taking a little from each recipe I decided it best to alter them a bit.  This recipe replicates the taste of the biscuits almost exactly, but after my first attempt I realized I needed to bake them longer to create a crispier texture.  Like a biscotti, these are baked twice.  Biscuit in French means twice baked, as I imagine does biscotti in Italian. While not as pretty as the Fossier finished product, this recipe yields a very satisfactory imitation.

Biscuits Roses De Riems

4 large room temperature eggs, separated
1 T. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. red food coloring
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. orange extract
2 C. superfine sugar
1 C. blanched almond flour/meal
2 C. unleavened pastry flour

1 C. confectioners sugar
In a large mixing bowl, using a whisk attachment beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Switching to a paddle attachment, slowly add yolks one at a time, then food coloring and flavorings.  Beat until smooth.  Add the sugar 1/2 cup at a time.  Let the mixture stand for 20 minutes to allow sugar to fully dissolve. Beat again, add almond flour, combine then add the flour 1 cup at a time, just to incorporate, no longer.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper and grease with butter. Spread the batter evenly into the pan.  This works best by using a large off set spatula, but really use whatever you have at hand.

Sieve 1/2 cup of the confectioners sugar over the top of the batter and place the pan on a large half sheet baking pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean, but before the batter browns.  Avoid browning at all costs as it mars it's beautiful pinkiness.

Cool completely then cut into rectangles. Place each biscuit onto parchment lined baking sheets, reduce oven temperature to 175 degrees F.  Sieve the remaining confectioners sugar over the biscuits and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes, to completely dry them.

Serve with champagne or your favorite beverage!