Biscotti

One of my favorite gifts this holiday season was Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food from my sister. Though I grew up just a few blocks from Chez Panisse, I've never eaten there because it is tres expensive and fancy, but it seems like everyone in Berkeley worships Alice Waters anyway. Anyway. After mastering oatmeal cookies (Freeze them for 1/2 an hour before you bake for the perfect chewyness factor!) I've been looking for a little more of a baking challenge: On my list is bread (like the kind made with yeast. Whoa!), custard tart, paleo/low-carb pumpkin pie, and biscotti. All are covered in my new favorite cookbook except for the low-carb pumpkin pie because... well it's normal food. Today's project is biscotti!

Cherry-Pistachio Biscotti

(adapted from Anise-Almond Biscotti in The Art of Simple Food)

• 2 1/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup shelled, coarsely chopped pistachios
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped dried cherries
• Optional: some melted semi-sweet chocolate (about a handful of chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the flour, baking powder and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, sugar and zest and beat until the mixture forms a ribbon. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Gently fold in nuts and cherries.

Form the dough into two 3-inch wide loaves and place on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake for 25 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove loaves from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Slice the loaves into 1/2 inch thick cookies and bake on cookie sheets cut side down for ten minutes on each side, until golden brown. Drizzle with chocolate if desired.

Of course, you can shake it up as far as the nuts, fruits and spices go. The original recipe calls for 3/4 teaspoon aniseed instead of nutmeg and almonds rather than pistachios and cherries. It also suggests raisins and walnuts, candied citrus peel, and/or fennel seeds or coriander.