Italy (9.8.22)
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Recipes contributed by Gail Hintze.
Growing up in an Italian-American neighborhood, Gail regularly heard Italian spoken -- a dialect where the final vowel was often dropped (biscotti, therefore, became "biscott"). When she expressed interest in learning Italian, a matriarch told her she was better off just knowing English, since that was the language she'd need to succeed in this country. Later Gail learned the other (real?) reason she was discouraged from learning Italian: it was the language that the older women fell into when they wanted to gossip without the young people knowing what they were saying! Here, Gail presents three different biscott(i), two with the traditional crunchy, oblong form, and a slightly softer loaf-shaped one. She encourages bakers to experiment with different flavors and add-ins: nuts, chocolate, spices, dried fruit -- whatever combinations please your palate! Gail recommends the two books whose recipes are featured below as excellent sources for other biscotti recipes and many other great cookie recipes, too:
Want to try more Italian recipes? Click here for the archive from our program in 2012. Click here for the archive from our program in 2013. Click here for the archive from our program in 2014. Click here for the archive from our program in 2015. Click here for the archive from our program in 2023. |
Cinnamon Chocolate Biscotti
From The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion
Beat together:
6 tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Beat in:
2 large eggs
Sift together and add:
2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
Mix well. Stir in:
6 oz (1 cup) milk chocolate chunks
1 cup lightly toasted walnuts, chopped
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On the parchment, shape the dough into a rough log about 14” long x 2 ½” wide x ¾” thick.
Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.
Remove from pan onto a cutting board and let rest about 10 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
Cut log into slices ½” - ¾” thick. Set upright pieces on baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 25 minutes.
Transfer to wire rack to cool.
Beat together:
6 tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Beat in:
2 large eggs
Sift together and add:
2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
Mix well. Stir in:
6 oz (1 cup) milk chocolate chunks
1 cup lightly toasted walnuts, chopped
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On the parchment, shape the dough into a rough log about 14” long x 2 ½” wide x ¾” thick.
Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.
Remove from pan onto a cutting board and let rest about 10 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
Cut log into slices ½” - ¾” thick. Set upright pieces on baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 25 minutes.
Transfer to wire rack to cool.
Lake Como Biscotti
From Heatter: Maida Heatter’s Brand-New Book of Great Cookies
Place in a shallow pan:
2 cups (9 oz) whole almonds
Bake in a 350° oven for 12-15 minutes, until fragrant. Set aside to cool.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Sift together in a large bowl:
2 cups sifted unbleached flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
Mix in:
1 cup minus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
Place about ½ cup of this mixture in a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade. Add about ½ cup of the toasted almonds and process for about 30 seconds, until the nuts are fine and powdery. Add the nut mixture and the remaining almonds to the large bowl, and mix.
Beat until just mixed:
2 large eggs
Finely grated rind of one large firm lemon
1 tbsp plus 1 ½ tsp lemon juice
Scant ½ tsp almond extract
Add to the dry ingredients and stir. And stir some more…it will take a few minutes to get the dry ingredients moistened, but it will happen!
Divide the dough into four parts. Arrange the parts on the parchment paper and shape each part into a roll about 10” long. (Original recipe rolls each part out on a floured board, then brushes off extra flour with pastry brush. I just arrange to dough on the parchment paper in long strips, and push together with moistened fingers). Rolls should be about 2” apart on baking sheet.
Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Rolls will be lightly colored and should feel slightly firm.
Reduce oven temperature to 275°.
Transfer the rolls to a cutting board. Hold a hot loaf with a pot holder or folded towel and carefully cut into slices ½” to ¾” wide. A serrated knife works best.
Place slices on unlined cookie sheet. Bake at 275° for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand until cool.
Place in a shallow pan:
2 cups (9 oz) whole almonds
Bake in a 350° oven for 12-15 minutes, until fragrant. Set aside to cool.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Sift together in a large bowl:
2 cups sifted unbleached flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
Mix in:
1 cup minus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
Place about ½ cup of this mixture in a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade. Add about ½ cup of the toasted almonds and process for about 30 seconds, until the nuts are fine and powdery. Add the nut mixture and the remaining almonds to the large bowl, and mix.
Beat until just mixed:
2 large eggs
Finely grated rind of one large firm lemon
1 tbsp plus 1 ½ tsp lemon juice
Scant ½ tsp almond extract
Add to the dry ingredients and stir. And stir some more…it will take a few minutes to get the dry ingredients moistened, but it will happen!
Divide the dough into four parts. Arrange the parts on the parchment paper and shape each part into a roll about 10” long. (Original recipe rolls each part out on a floured board, then brushes off extra flour with pastry brush. I just arrange to dough on the parchment paper in long strips, and push together with moistened fingers). Rolls should be about 2” apart on baking sheet.
Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Rolls will be lightly colored and should feel slightly firm.
Reduce oven temperature to 275°.
Transfer the rolls to a cutting board. Hold a hot loaf with a pot holder or folded towel and carefully cut into slices ½” to ¾” wide. A serrated knife works best.
Place slices on unlined cookie sheet. Bake at 275° for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand until cool.
Pecan and Ginger Slices
From Heatter: Maida Heatter’s Brand-New Book of Great Cookies
Butter two loaf pans 8 ½” x 4 ½” x 2 ¾”. Dust pans with fine, dry bread crumbs. Invert pans over sink to remove excess, but leave a generous coating.
Beat until soft:
4 oz. unsalted butter
Beat in:
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
Beat in one at a time:
4 large eggs
Sift together and stir in:
1 ¾ cups sifted unbleached flour
Scant ½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
Stir in:
5 oz. crystallized ginger, cut into pea-sized pieces (easiest to cut with scissors)
10 oz (3 cups) pecan halves or large pieces
Divide dough between the two pans. Each pan will be less than half full. Smooth the tops, then make a deep trench down the center of each loaf, the length of the pan. This step helps prevent a high mound in the middle of the loaves.
Bake at 350° for 55 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Reverse the pans front to back after first 30 minutes to insure even baking.
Remove the pans from the oven. Wet and wring out two paper towels and place one on top of each loaf. Cover each pan with aluminum foil and fold tight to keep steam in.
Let the cakes cool in the pans. Remove loaves from pans. Remove foil and towels. Wrap loaves in plastic and freeze for a couple hours. (Original recipe suggests “several hours,” but I found the loaves much more difficult to cut if they were in the freezer that long).
Place the frozen loaf on a cutting board and cut into ¼” slices. (original recipe suggests long, thin knife with a sharp, straight blade. I used a serrated knife.) Cut slowly and carefully. If the loaf is too hard to slice neatly, wait a few minutes and try again. Repeat with second loaf.
Place the slices on an unlined cookie sheet. Bake at 325° for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness. Watch them carefully; you want a pale golden color, but once they start to color they can burn quickly. Do not overbake.
Transfer to wire rack to cool.
Butter two loaf pans 8 ½” x 4 ½” x 2 ¾”. Dust pans with fine, dry bread crumbs. Invert pans over sink to remove excess, but leave a generous coating.
Beat until soft:
4 oz. unsalted butter
Beat in:
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
Beat in one at a time:
4 large eggs
Sift together and stir in:
1 ¾ cups sifted unbleached flour
Scant ½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
Stir in:
5 oz. crystallized ginger, cut into pea-sized pieces (easiest to cut with scissors)
10 oz (3 cups) pecan halves or large pieces
Divide dough between the two pans. Each pan will be less than half full. Smooth the tops, then make a deep trench down the center of each loaf, the length of the pan. This step helps prevent a high mound in the middle of the loaves.
Bake at 350° for 55 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Reverse the pans front to back after first 30 minutes to insure even baking.
Remove the pans from the oven. Wet and wring out two paper towels and place one on top of each loaf. Cover each pan with aluminum foil and fold tight to keep steam in.
Let the cakes cool in the pans. Remove loaves from pans. Remove foil and towels. Wrap loaves in plastic and freeze for a couple hours. (Original recipe suggests “several hours,” but I found the loaves much more difficult to cut if they were in the freezer that long).
Place the frozen loaf on a cutting board and cut into ¼” slices. (original recipe suggests long, thin knife with a sharp, straight blade. I used a serrated knife.) Cut slowly and carefully. If the loaf is too hard to slice neatly, wait a few minutes and try again. Repeat with second loaf.
Place the slices on an unlined cookie sheet. Bake at 325° for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness. Watch them carefully; you want a pale golden color, but once they start to color they can burn quickly. Do not overbake.
Transfer to wire rack to cool.