BISCOTTI

June 13, 2006
Show #450

As summer heat bears down on us, it makes us appreciate those cool mornings even more. If you don't feel like cooking, but you do want a little something tasty to go with your morning coffee, may we suggest a little Italian treat that has become quite popular over here, the biscotti. These little twice baked cookies are a tremendous vehicle for creativity. The dough recipe is mildly sweet and fashioned to be fairly dry; there's a little less fat included. The fun comes with the flavorings and the featured ingredients. Licorice flavored anise is the most commonly encountered flavor, almonds and hazelnuts the most often seen additions. But your imagination can run riot. Most dried fruits will work well, as will most nuts, provided they are coarsely chopped. Chocolate chips work just fine. Any of the sweeter baking spices can work: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice. And general flavorings like chocolate, vanilla extract, almond extract, flavored liquors and fruit juice do well. Here's a Radio Kitchen original recipe with a Mid Eastern slant.

PISTACHIO CARDAMOM BISCOTTI
A Radio Kitchen Original Recipe

2 1/2 cups Flour
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 large eggs -- lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons ground cardamom
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pistachios

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2. Grease and flour a standard baking sheet, shaking off excess.
3. In a bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Make a well in center of mixture.
4. Add the remaining liquid ingredients, the cardamom and the nuts. With an electric beater, set to low, beat all ingredients together until a dough forms. Divide the dough in half.
5. On a smooth lightly floured surface, shape dough into 2 long loaves, 2 in. high, 3 in. wide and 10 in. long.
6. Place the loaves on the baking sheet and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the top begins to turn color. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
7. When the loaves are just warm to the touch, cut them diagonally with a sharp knife, creating 1 inch slices. Using a flat frosting spreader, slide the slices onto a wire rack, bottoms down and return to a cooler 300 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. The biscotti will turn lightly golden and should dry out.
8. Remove the racks and set aside to cool.
9. Yields approximately 2 dozen biscotti

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