Earthbound Kitchen

I am not great about making myself breakfast. Nope. I know that I’ve written posts about amazing and quick and easy breakfasts, but the thing is, I am only amazing or quick rarely…and my mornings are only rarely easy.

My morning starts at 6:00am because I have a commute that is supposed to be an hour but is sometimes more and I like to have an 8-4 work day so that I can do things like hit the gym and cook dinner. The hour between 6:00am and 7:00am never seems like quite enough to shower, dress, pack myself lunch, make sure I have whatever papers I need for work and whatever clothes I need for the gym, slug down my coffee, AND make and eat my breakfast. Because everything that comes before breakfast seems to be required and breakfast just seems requested, on more hectic days breakfast gets skipped.

Enter Joanne Chang and her amazing Flour cookbook.

I discovered this book at a CGNE event and used it to bake all my holiday cookies this year. The cookies were just what cookies were supposed to be, crispy and chewy and caramelized and delicious. But the biscotti, oh my. Biscotti, in case you are from Mars and have never had any, is this long and narrow rock-hard cookie. For years I was of the opinion that it had more in common with a weapon than with a regular cookie. I couldn’t understand the point of a cookie that wasn’t that sweet and needed to be dipped into liquid before you ate it or else risk breaking a tooth. That was before I made Joanne Chang’s almond and anise biscotti.

Everyone has their kitchen pet peeve. Anthony Bourdain refuses to use a garlic press. Marion Cunningham made fun of cooks who roasted their turkey in foil. I am a total snoot when it comes to Bolognese and the amount of tomato that belongs in it. And Chang is hung-up on fake biscotti. She calls it a “misunderstood cookie” and despairs that Americans insist on adding butter to their recipes to remedy its too hard texture. Biscotti, in her opinion, is meant to be tooth-shatteringly-hard. I love a persnickety cook. I read her intro and was instantly sold on the biscotti.

Biscotti is easy to make, it just takes forever. The name means “twice-baked” in Italian and neither baking is brief. First you bake it for 45 minutes at 350. Then you cut the biscotti log into the more familiar sticks and bake it for another 3-4 HOURS. You’re looking at about 5 hours of baking if you’re lucky. But since the cooking time is hands-off it’s a perfect lazy Sunday activity.

Since I discovered this recipe Sam and I have made it about once every three weeks. You have to time it so that you still have a few pieces left on the day you’re baking the new batch or else the smell of the biscotti in the oven will drive you wild and you’ll take it out too soon and it won’t be hard all the way through. You also have to make sure you have decaf coffee on hand or you’ll drink so much caffeine while you’re waiting that your hands will start to vibrate and you won’t be able to finish the crossword (not that I can normally finish the crossword, but I’d prefer to be defeated by the clues than by my own wired-ness).

Almond and Anise Biscotti
Adapted from Flour by Joanne Chang
Note: Use the freshest eggs you can find, preferably straight from the farm, they’ll beat up higher and make the biscotti just a little bit lighter.  Also, don’t forget to toast the almonds and don’t skimp on the anise, both contribute a lot to the flavor. You can easily make mini biscotti by shaping the dough into two narrower logs of the same length, which can be nice if you have shallow coffee cups.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon anise seeds
• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (you can substitute 1/8 tsp table salt)
• 2 cups raw whole almonds

Instructions

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread the 2 cups of almonds onto the baking sheet and place in the oven for about 10 minutes, until they are fragrant and nutty. The best way to tell if the nuts are done is to cut one in half (hold with a clean dish cloth so you don’t burn yourself) and see what color the interior is. It should be a nice apricot-y brown.
3. Move the almonds somewhere to cool and line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or a handheld mixer), beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the mixture is light and thick and lemon colored. (This step will take 10 to 12 minutes if using a handheld mixer.) Meanwhile, place the anise seeds on a cutting board, sprinkle with a few drops of water, and chop finely. (The water will help keep the anise seeds from flying all over the place while you chop.) When the egg mixture is ready, add the anise seeds and whip for a few more seconds to distribute evenly.
5. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and almonds. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and, using a wooden spoon, stir for 2 to 3 minutes, or until thoroughly combined. You may need to switch to mixing the dough with your hands because it will be fairly stiff.
6. Turn out the dough directly onto the prepared baking sheet. Pat it into a log roughly 5 inches wide, 12 inches long, and 1 inch high. It is helpful to dampen your hands with water t prevent them from sticking to the batter as you shape it.
7. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the log is completely browned and firm. To test if it is ready, press a fingertip firmly into the middle; it should not give at all. Let the log cool on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes, or until it is cool enough to handle comfortably. Turn down the oven to 200 degrees F.
8. Transfer the log to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, slice the log on the diagonal into ½-inch-wide biscotti. You should get about 15 biscotti. (At this point, the biscotti can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for up to 1 month, then baked the second time directly from the freezer.)