Biscotti---Andrew Carmellini's Mother's

I bought this new book after Linzi recommended me try the recipe in his American taste book on biscuits. She was amazed at the life he was able to get with regular ingredients. She thought that the recipe that she got on Andrew Carmellini book was a significant improvement over the recipe that she has been using and the techniques that came with the instruction at the knight's flour company lessons she had in Vermont.
I bought the books and while looking for a interesting recipe.. I was looking for a recipe to replace the biscotti I bought at Costco.
This recipe used shelled pistachios. I have a nice bag of them left over from the Christmas party. So it was a win win.

This recipe calls for some interesting ingredients and then he portions some of them out (I made the first with 3 eggs instead of 2. One needed to be reserved for the egg wash before the first bake. ) some of the ingredients he lists in the ingredients pile but really doesn't utilize them in the narrative. I can understand that.. but really in such a nice graphic cookbook this shouldn't happen.

Mom's Biscotti
Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

3 eggs... (use 2 for the batter and one for egg wash later on)
1 cup of sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
4 Tablespoons of melted butter
2 Cups of Flour
1 Tablespoon of baking powder
1 Tablespoon of Anise seed
2 Tablespoons of Sambuco (an Italian liquor) that took me an hour and a half to locate in Merced
3/4 cup of shelled pistashios

Use a Kitchen Aid mixer. Whip the eggs and the sugar for 15 minutes on medium with the whipping attachment to the mixer. The color should change to I lighter yellow and the liquid should double.Add the zest of two lemons,  and the melted butter in the last two minutes of the beating.

 Switch to the paddle on the mixer.

Add the baking powder, flour, anise seed, and the Sambuco.
Mix on slow until all is incorporated.
Add the pictachios and mix for 30 seconds on slow.

Refrigerate for 20 minutes with a piece of plastic wrap over the bowl.

On a baking pan with a piece of parchment or a silicon mat, form 2 logs.
Coat with the egg reserved in a wash on each of the logs.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Reposition pan and bake until overall lightly tan another 10-15 minutes.
Reduce oven temp to 325.
Pull each log off and cut into 3/4 diagonal slices. Put on another backing pan with a piece of parchment or silicon mat. These cross sections will then enter the oven for an additional 15 minutes..as they crisp up.

It really is a lot easier than this description suggests. 

These cookies are great for dipping in espresso or hot chocolate.. for vin santo like the real Italians

Give them a try!
: ) Pat