Amaretti biscuits - Italy

Amarettis do not require a lot of ingredients and are so delicious that I recommend you to double to quantities. You can then keep the biscuits in a box for several days.

For about 30 biscuits
Preparation time: 20 mi
Cooking time: 10 min
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 2 egg whites
- 150g granulated sugar
- 175g powdered almonds 
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 50g powdered sugar  

1.   Preheat your oven at 200°C/400°C degrees.
2.   Beat the egg whites for 2 minutes and add the granulated sugar. Contniue beating for about 2 minutes until firm.
3.   With a spatula, slowly mix in the powdered almonds and almond extract.
4. With your hands, make irregular balls, looking like rocks, and roll them in the powdered sugar. Use about 1/2 table spoon of dough for each biscuits.
5. Lay the biscuits on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for about 10 min, until they are lightly brown. Let cool and serve.

Grilled Lime-Ginger Marinated Scallops

Tired of traditional BBQs? This summer, try grilling scallops for a change! They cook very fast and are delicious on the grill. Big and juicy scallops are preferred because they are much easier to handle and they will not break up during cooking. I did not do it this time but you can thread the scallops onto skewers, it will be even easier.

Serves 2
Preparation time: 15 minutes + 2 hours marinating
Cooking time: 8-10 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 10 big scallops, fresh or thawed
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 0.5 inch grated fresh ginger (about 1.3 cm)
- juice of 1/2 lime
- zest of 1 lime
- 3-4 basil leaves, chopped
- salt and pepper

Start with the marinade: grate the ginger root, zest the lime (keep some zest strands aside to top your dish before serving) and mix with all the other marinade ingredients. Check the seasoning.

Pat dry the scallops to absorb all the liquids.

Pour the marinade in a plastic freezer bag (like Ziploc®) and add the scallops. Close the bag and gently shake it to coat the scallops with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
If you chose to make skewers, place them in a large flat pan and turn the skewers from time to time to make sure the marinade coats each side of the scallops.

Heat the grill; grease it with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. When hot, start grilling the scallops. It will be pretty fast. Make sure the scallops don't stick to the grill and turn them after 4-5 minutes. Continue grilling on the other side for about 4 more minutes.

Just before serving, top with the remaining zest strands and/or chopped basil. Enjoy with a fresh salad.