Cantuccini

Years back, I was taking this weekend seminar with a couple of friends.  Some of them brought some homemade biscotti (cantuccini) to class and were coffee dunking.  I was never much interested in biscotti before but these were amazing! 

Until about a year ago, I totally forgot about those biscottis.    A and I would get together to bake randomly and enjoy our creations.  Some how we decided to make biscotti one week and I was soooo scared making them since I thought they were super complicated.  We used Peabody’srecipe and they were soo super simple!  I was in shock.  I e-mailed my friend to ask her for the recipe that she used for her biscotti (from some recipe book) and A and I both tried it out.  We were in love.  It seemed like it had the right amount of everything in it. 

I made some recently for a couple of girlfriends that came over and enjoyed them with some coffee and chatter. 

For a brief history/origin on biscotti, check out Linda’s site. 

Chocolate Chip Biscotti (source unknown)

2 cups (10 oz/315 g) all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup (4 oz/125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup (3 ½ oz/105 g) firmly packed light brown sugar

½ cup (4 oz/125 g) granulated sugar

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

2 eggs

1 cup (4 oz/125 g) coarsely chopped walnuts  (optional)

1 cup (6 oz/185 g) semisweet chocolate chips

 Preheat the oven to 325° F (165° C). Butter 2 baking sheets.  

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and espresso powder. Using an electric mixer set on high speed, beat until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, add the walnuts and chocolate chips, and mix in. Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated.  

Divide the dough in half. Place each half on a prepared baking sheet. Using lightly floured hands, form each half into a log 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide and ¾ inch (2 cm) high.  

Bake until firm to the touch, about 25 minutes (the logs will spread during baking). Remove the whole logs from the oven the let cool slightly on the baking sheets. Leave the oven set at 325° F. 

Using a spatula, carefully transfer the logs to a work surface. Using a serrated knife, cut on the diagonal into slices ½ inch (12 mm) thick. Arrange the slices, cut side down on the baking sheets and bake until the bottoms are brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the slices over. Bake until the bottoms are brown, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.  

Makes about 3 dozen.

 

I made a light dinner for them as well and it was so simple yet so amazing.  If your tired of the average baked potato (don’t get me wrong, theyre good but I always feel like I’ve eaten too much) try this one out.  Fresh herbs can go a long long way. 

Pesto Potatoes (by Dutch Girl)

3 potatoes (8 oz each)
1 large shallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup vegetable broth

1/4 tsp paprika
fresh basil
pine nuts
pepper
kosher/sea salt

Parmesan cheese
olive oil

Wash the potatoes, giving them a good scrub.  Pat dry.  With a fork, poke the potatoes in 5 different places.  Lightly oil it with olive oil and sprinkle some sea or kosher salt over them. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 400F for an hour.

In a sauce pan, heat up a littttle bit of oil.  Sautee your shallot (or any onion will do) for about 3 min. Add the garlic and let it cook for a couple min.  Add in the cream, vegetable stock (chicken stock will work too) and paprika.  Cook for another 10 min.  Once the sauce had thickened up a little take it off the heat and add in crack of pepper and a good pinch of salt.  Squeeze in half of lemon juice and your chopped basil. 

Once the potatoes are done in the oven, slice them in half length wise.  Scoop out the potato guts so there’s only a potato shell left.  Add the guts to the sauce and fill up the potato shells.  Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese and put it in the oven at 350F for 10 min.  Serve while hot.