mix, mix… stir, stir

Sweet
Lenxox Almond Biscotti is what the Tuesdays with Dorie group is cooking up this week. Biscotti are my favorite cookie to eat while enjoying a hot cup of coffee or tea. They are crunchy and satisftying and usually big, making it possible to enjoy the cookie accompaniment with the entire cup of hot beverage. I still remember experiencing great excitement the first time I made biscotti; having sliced the logs of baked dough as directed, there before my eyes were biscotti shaped just like the ones at the fancy coffee shop! It was thrilling.  It is a simple shape to achieve, but I had never thought through how to make a cookie shaped that way. To this day I love the moment of transformation from single log of dough to beautiful bias-cut shaped cookies, all with the simple slice of a knife.

photo by David Peterman

Dorie Greenspan’s recipe in Baking: From My Home to Yours, is good, but I added a few twists to suit my preferences. I like really crispy biscotti so I cut the butter back to 4 Tbsp from 8 which did the trick. I also prefer whole nuts in biscotti for both aesthetics and taste, so I used whole balanced almonds rather than slivered. I buy a magnificent spice blend called Kashmiri Garam Masala, from World Spice and it works so beautifully in baked goods that I tossed in a teaspoon in addition to bumping up the salt by an 1/8 teaspoon. For a shiny finish, I gave the logs a brush with an egg wash before the first baking.

At first glance Kashmiri Garam Masala might seem like a strange choice for baking, after all it has black peppercorn, black cumin, and coriander in it. It is the cardamom, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon along with the fact that all the spices are toasted to a nice warm nutty flavor that maks this blend so delicious in sweet applications. One whiff and you will know what I mean. I have used it to spice up butter cookies, pancakes, madeleines, chocolate ganache, and the list goes on.

I did have an issue with the baking instructions for this recipe. Dorie instructs the first baking to be “15 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden and springy to the touch.” I found that to be not nearly long enough to sufficiently set the interior of the dough. I ended up baking mine for 30 minutes before pulling them out and slicing them. The first batch I baked about 20 minutes and when I removed the logs from the oven they proceeded to collapse because they were still quite raw in the center. After slicing them, I returned them to the oven for the second baking and they puffed up again, but lost the nice sharp cut edges that say “biscotti” to me. I made these a second time and baked them for 30 minutes, let the logs cool just 10 minutes, enough so I wouldn’t burn myself when slicing the cookies, and then returned them to bake for an additional 20 minutes. I also reduced the oven temperature from 350 degrees F to 300 degrees F for the second baking. The result was much more to my liking. Crispy dry with clean cut edges and not overly browned.

Thank you to Gretchen of Canela & Comino for selecting the biscotti recipe. These are easy to make, and though they require a fair amount of baking time, you can set a timer and wonder off to do other things. Because the dough is not individually portioned into cookies, biscotti are quick to make.

Savory
In addition to being a great sweet treat, biscotti are wonderful in a savory application. I have served these as an hors d’oeuvre nibble at parties, as part of a bread basket at dinner, and as a nice alternative to bread along side soup or salad. I like to make savory biscotti a little less crisp than dessert biscotti, so there is the addition of olive oil and milk. The flavoring can really go in any direction, so play around to suit your needs. I am thinking of working on a sundried tomato and parmesan version next.

photo by David Peterman

Toasting Spices
Toasting spices is not about bringing out flavor; it is about changing the flavor. A toasted spice is like anything toasted, think of toasted verses raw almonds or bread. Sometimes toasted is what you want and other times not, it is the same with spices. Try toasting a spice and taste it compared the untoasted spice and you will immediately understand what a toasted or non-toasted spice will bring to a dish

For small quantities I prefer to toast spices in a dry skillet on the stove top over a medium heat. It is important to shake the pan and keep them moving around so they don’t burn.  The level of toasting depends on how much toasty flavor you desire. Experimentation is the best way to determine preferences for different dishes. Some foods will benefit from a nice dark roast on the spice and other lighter flavored dishes may be best complimented with just a golden hue added to the spice. 

Rosemary Orange Almond Biscotti
2 cups flour
1/2 cup corn meal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
zest of one orange
2 tsp. whole coriander, toasted then crushed
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup whole blanched almonds
Additional egg for egg wash, if desired
Kosher or flake salt for garnishing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

If eggs are cold, place them in a bowl of warm tap water to take the chill off. The milk can be warmed in the microwave on low for about 15 seconds to take the chill off.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, corn meal, baking powder, salt, pepper, rosemary, orange zest, and coriander. Stir with fingers to combine ingredients and break up any clumps of the orange zest so they are well disitributed throughout the mixture. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter then add the olive oil and beat to combine. Add the eggs one at a time giving the mixture time to combine before adding the milk. The butter may appear clumpy, but it will come together once the dry ingredients are added. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and stop the mixer just before the flour is fully incorperated into the dough. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the almonds, stirring by hand to incorperate should integrate the flour mixture without risking over mixing.

Divide the dough into two portions on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Using your hands, form each portion of dough into a long log shape. This is a wet, sticky dough that generally behaves without the need for additional flour if just patted and pushed into shape. If making party nibbles, it is best to make the logs rather long and only 2-21/2 inches wide and not to thick, so the biscotti will be bite-sized once cut into pieces. For nice long biscotti, shape the logs 3-31/2 inches wide.  

Wisk an egg with a little bit of water to create an egg wash. Using a pastry brush paint the logs with the egg wash then sprinkle with a light dusting of kosher salt, or preferably a delicate flake salt if you have it. Bake for 30 minutes. The dough should just be taking on a golden brown color and be cooked through enough to hold its structure. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for about 10 minutes, or until you can comfortably slice the logs.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Using a serrated knife, slice the logs at about a 45 degree angle creating slices about 3/4 to 1 inch thick.  Conduct a quality control study by snacking on the end piece trimmings. Place the biscotti slices back on the baking sheet and return to the oven for about 20 more minutes. The second baking is designed to dry out the biscotti and make them crisp. Transfer to cooling rack and serve at room temperature, or store in an airtight container for about a week.

Spicy, crunchy, sweet, and glistening like little gem stones. How can you not want to nibble on these? It may not seem like the appropriate time of year to be focusing on candied nuts, but if you think salads and desserts rather than holiday parties and hostess gifts, spiced candied nuts have limitless possibilities all year long.

They are happy companions with a roasted beet or spring greens salad, and they make any cheese platter sparkle. As a garnish on anything chocolate, they work. I was making a peanut butter tort today and rather than folding in naked peanuts, I used spiced candied peanuts for a nice added layer of flavor and interest. The candy coating sort of melted off into the surrounding mousse, quite reminiscent of the melt-ring around the toffee bits in butter brickle ice cream, and I can tell you these nuts will be going in my next batch of ice cream!

Though still perfect to serve at a cocktail party, and always a thoughtful hostess gift, don’t limit yourself - go candy some nuts!

Spiced Candied Nuts
I experimented with various sweet coatings and settled on maple syrup because it not only adds a nice flavor but it creates a crunchy rather than sticky coating. Using primarily whole spices and infusing the flavor makes for a clearer candy coating and a smoother flavor.

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2-3 inch long cinnamon stick (cassia or true cinnamon)
2-3 mace blades or 4 whole cloves
24 allspice berries
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
16 black peppercorns, whole
2 dried spicy chiles such as de arbol, or pequin, or Japanese
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups nuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all the spices, except the salt and paprika, in a mortar and pestle and crush them just enough to break them up into large pieces. You can also accomplish this by putting the spices in a plastic bag and crushing them with a rolling pin or mallet. 

Heat the oil in a small saute pan over low heat and add all of the spices except the salt. Simmer over low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally than remove from the heat and let the spices infuse into the oil for 10 minutes. Add the maple syrup, brown sugar, and salt. Over a low heat bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, let it boil for 5 minutes.

Pile the toasted nuts in the center of a rimmed baking sheet. Strain the spices out of the syrup and pour the syrup over the nuts. Toss to coat and spread the nuts out in a single layer. Place the nuts in the oven and set a timer for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, remove the nuts and stir them to re-coat with syrup. Repeat the 3 minute baking/stirring cycle three more times so they bake for a total of 12 minutes.

Place a sheet of parchment or a silpat on a cooling rack. After removing the nuts from the oven for the final time, stir them to re-coat and scoop them onto the parchment to cool. Using a spatula spread the nuts out and work to separate them. As they begin to cool keep breaking apart any nuts that are clumped or touching. Once cool store in an airtight container.