SHOPPING - Bargain Greens, Costly Cookies and More

Watch out, brownies. Beware, chocolate chips. A newcomer is invading the cookie market.

Twice-baked to make them brown and crunchy, these are the biscotti , produced by the Biscotti Cookie Co. of Carpinteria. Some are plain, some are chocolate-topped. And none of them is anything like traditional Italian biscotti. Whole-wheat flour, replaces the traditional white, and macadamia nuts are used along with the usual almonds.

“We’re a little more health conscious in our product than some,” says Steve Doner, who got into the cookie business by accident.

Doner had been baking a few biscotti a week for the Deli House restaurants that he and his wife, Nicole, operate in Carpinteria and Santa Barbara. A buyer for a chain of beverage shops spotted the biscotti , and voila , a thriving business.

The biscotti are meant to be dunked in anything from espresso to brandy (the label calls them dipping cookies). You can also serve them alongside ice cream or fruit--or simply snack on them all by themselves.

They come in three styles: plain, topped with a blend of American dark chocolates, or topped with white chocolate that has been scented with natural orange oil. The basic cookie in each case contains macadamias and almonds, also cinnamon, nutmeg and fresh orange zest--”nothing out of the ordinary,” Doner says.

The price may be a bit out of the ordinary--$7 to $8 for an 8-ounce bag, depending upon where you buy them and whether they are chocolate-frosted. Local sources include Jennifer’s Coffee, a gourmet coffee shop in Studio City; Gelson’s in North Hollywood (they’re at the coffee bar, not in the cookie section); the Chapman Market in Los Angeles and the Coffee and Tea Leaf outlets.

Whatever happened to old-fashioned, sturdy iceberg lettuce? “It’s out of fashion with the foodie types,” observed Julia Child, “but I’ve always found it very useful.” Child employs the homely head in Cobb salad (see the recipe in her book, “Julia Child & More Company”) and recommends it whenever a crisp lettuce base or finely shredded lettuce is needed. “It keeps awfully well,” she noted.

Child is not the only culinary icon to promote head lettuce. “Jim always was very much in favor of it for various things,” she said. “Jim” is the late James Beard. And if that doesn’t sell you, the price might. Pavilions recently featured the heads at three for $1, thus undercutting mache, arugula, radicchio and other trendy leaves. (For more about Iceberg, see the Home Cook, H20.)

It used to be that if you wanted a peach, you bought a peach. But more and more, brand names are what consumers look for. LTD tree-ripened peaches, for instance, are left on the tree an extra few days than most to enhance their sweetness, size and color. Produced by small-scale growers in the San Joaquin Valley, they are packed by hand. The grower’s relatives, friends, neighbors and local school children are all enlisted in the project. If all goes smoothly, they’re in the market by the following day.

Set the peaches on a window sill out of sunlight to ripen fully or enclose them in a paper bag, which is a faster method. When the peaches “give” slightly to the touch, refrigerate them. They are not washed after picking and should be rinsed off before the ripening process.

During last week’s heat wave, fruit purchased slightly green was ready to eat in a day or two. Von’s will have the peaches all summer. Look also for LTD tree-ripened plums and nectarines.