DigiBites: Festive Holiday Biscotti!

Greetings 24/680 Readers –

Food is an integral part of the holiday season; we share meals, offer food gifts, attend holiday parties surrounded by food, and dine out with family and friends – the possibilities are endless!  This is a perfect time for food-junkies like me to share recipes and ideas to enhance your holiday season by sharing and feeding those you care about and presenting new food ideas at your gatherings!

To begin the season, I will start with a great holiday dessert as well as food-gift idea – Pistachio – Cranberry Biscotti. These biscotti are tasty and colorful (perfect green and red for the season) and served with pistachio ice cream or gelato make for a memorable presentation.

Let’s get started. If there are particular holiday-themed dishes you would like me to share, please let me know and I will bring them from my files and post for everyone.

If you would like to learn more, or have others who would like to offer a cooking experience with, Epicurean Exchange offers holiday Gift Certificates for scheduled classes, private instruction, or hands-on cooking parties for family, friends and corporate holiday gatherings. Contact Chef Charlie directly for more information (charlie@epicureanexchange.com).

Also, if you would like to learn to make biscotti with us in Italy, we are offering a holiday discount on our Tuscany 2019 tour, April 6 – 13, 2019.  Learn more here:  http://www.epicureanexchange.com/tuscany-2019

Pistachio – Cranberry Biscotti

1/4 cup olive oil

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 large eggs

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup dried cranberries (or sour cherries)

1 1/2 cups unsalted pistachio nuts

•  Pre-heat oven to 300˚F.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and sugar until well-blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, and then add the eggs and beat until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into the egg mixture. Fold in the cranberries and pistachios until evenly distributed.
• Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. The dough will be very sticky; wet hands with cool water are the best way to handle it.  Divide the dough in half; place half the dough on the baking sheet and form into a 12 x 2 – inch “log”. Slightly pat the log to flatten and repeat with the remaining dough. The biscotti will expand as it bakes, so make two “logs” to create a proper biscotti size.
• Bake for 35 minutes or until the logs are lightly brown. Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 275˚F.
• When cool, cut the logs on the diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Place the pieces on the sheet pan covered with a fresh piece of parchment paper. Bake for another 8 – 10 minutes until dry.

Makes 12 – 16 cookies 

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