 |
| Opening the garden gates at Toscana Saporita. |
In May of 2001 my husband and
I took a trip to Tuscany and enrolled in a cooking school in Lucca, called ToscanaSaporita A magical trip, if you love Italy and cooking like I do. We cooked everyday, preparing
our lunch and dinner, for the same day. In the afternoon we would tour the
surrounding towns and inhale all that was Tuscany.
 |
| One of the buildings on the olive oil farm. |
 |
| The ancient olive groves. |
 |
| Ready for one of many al fresco luncheons. |
One of the recipes that I have been
making for ten years now, never disappointing, is their recipe for Almond and
Orange Biscotti or Biscotti all’arancia e mandorie.
So delicious, I serve them
anytime. Breakfast, snack, after lunch, after dinner, with coffee, cappuccino,
latte, black tea or Vin Santo, the Italian after dinner dessert wine. Any time of year.
Of course dining al fresco completes the picture.
Make up a batch and they keep
forever, well until you eat them all. I have made and given them as a gift with
a bottle of Vin Santo at Christmas or as
a hostess gift.
 |
| Preparing the biscotti. The long ovals half baked. The slicing of the biscotti is next. Then they will be baked a second time. |
 |
| Baking for the second time. This is what makes them dry and crunchy. |
 |
| Ecco! |
Almond and Orange Biscotti
from Toscana Saporita
Makes about 30 Biscotti
3 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar
7 tablespoons unsalted
butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
¾ cup chopped blanched
almonds
2 tablespoons fresh orange
zest, finely grated
1 egg yolk, well beaten
Preheat the oven to 350
degrees F.
Line 3 baking sheets with
lightly-floured wax paper.
Sift the flour and baking
powder into a medium bowl.
Beat the sugar and butter in
a large bowl until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until fluffy.
Mix in the orange zest and
almonds. Add flour mixture and beat until well blended.
Divide the dough into 3
sections and shape each into a long, slightly flat oval. Place the ovals on the
baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes. Cool for 15 to 30 minutes.
Remove the wax paper.
Cut the dough diagonally into
½-inch slices. Brush the tops with the beaten egg yolk and bake again for 10 minutes
or until golden in color.
Ciao,
As Always,
xxoo Sheila
