10:51 PM 10/27/98
rfc

My family's favorite Italian Christmas cookie is Gialletti (Little Yellow
Diamonds):

1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
j1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup fine yellow cornmeal*
1/3 cup pine nuts (optional)

Combine raisins and rum in small bowl.  Cover and let stand overnight.

Preheat oven to 375.  Drain raisins well (discarding rum); chop coarsely.
Beat sugar and yolks with electric mixer at low speed until blended.
Increase speed to high and beat until pale yellow and slowly dissolving
ribbon forms when beaters are lifted, about 7 minutes.  Beat in butter in
thin stream.  Blend in lemon peel, vanilla and salt.  Using wooden spoon,
stir in raisins flour, cornmeal and pine nuts.  Let dough rest about 10
minutes.

Roll dough out on wooden surface to thickness of 1/2 inch.  Cut into
diamonds wtih 1 inch sides.  Arrange on ungreased baking sheet, spacing 1
inch apart.  Reroll scraps and cut additional cookies.  Bake until golden,
about 15 minutes.  Transfer to racks.  Cool completely.  Dust cookies with
powdered sugar just before serving.  These cookies keep well.

*To obtain fine texture, use regular cornmeal and grind in a food
processor four to five minutes.

--
Ronnie Wexler