The Paris baker: almond and cranberry biscotti
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Back in the 1980s, biscotti were ubiquitous in cafés and bakeries and we made them constantly. But these delightful biscuits seem to have fallen from favour. In Italy, however, there is no question of fashion where biscotti are concerned, and it should be the same elsewhere. Crisp, flavourful and lovely dipped in tea, coffee or even a glass of wine, they deserve to be back on our shelves.
I have chosen almonds but you could use hazelnuts, pistachios or even peanuts. Experiment with combinations that suit you, keeping the basic recipe the same.
Almond & cranberry biscotti
Ingredients
4 large eggs
130g honey
160g caster sugar
230g wholemeal spelt flour
230g wholemeal flour
430g whole almonds
Pinch salt
80g finely diced
Dried cranberries
Zest 3 lemons or oranges
1 extra egg, beaten for glazing
● Preheat the oven to 180C. Start beating the eggs, either by hand or with an electric mixer, slowly adding the honey and sugar. Beat briskly.
● When the mixture is thick and pale, turn the speed to low (if using a mixer) and fold in the flours, almonds, cranberries, salt and zest. You should have a soft dough that can be rolled into two logs about 40cm long and 7cm wide. If it is too sticky, add a little more flour.
● Place doughs on a lined baking tray and brush with the egg glaze.
● Bake until golden for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
● Slice into 3cm-4cm slices and place again on the baking tray. Bake for a further 10 minutes. Cool. The biscotti should keep in an airtight tin for about two weeks.
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Rose Carrarini is co-owner of Rose Bakery in Paris and author of ‘Breakfast, Lunch, Tea’ (Phaidon, £19.95). To comment on this article please post below, or email magazineletters@ft.com
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