As promised, here are three of the biscotti that I've made over the years, 
they're all quite good.  As someone whose father's name contains more vowels 
than consonants, I reserve the right to call Italian cookies biscotti, even if 
they are not twice-baked.  I'm cheating and just doing reposts of ones that 
I've already posted right now because there just aren't enough hours in the 
day to type out new ones.  I promise that I'll get to the ones calling for 
almond paste after this weekend.  Besides, you'll have a recipe that's been 
tested, since this weekend is when I plan on doing all the holiday biscotti 
baking.  The first recipe is a classic that I make every single year and have 
refined to perfection, at least for my family.  I glaze them with chocolate.  
I prefer El Rey or Ghiradelli over Valrhona.  I find Valrhona to be very 
sourish tasting on these, so a mellower chocolate does better.  One year they 
arrived late to my grandfather's and since then, he has taken to calling me 
around this time every year to remind me of the correct address "in case I'm 
mailing him something".  He says they are even better than the ones the ladies 
at church make, which, if it's true, means I'm out-doing all those nice 
Italian grandmothers...wow!

enjoy,
trilliu 


     Classic
     2 c sugar
     1 c unsalted butter  (I like using a nice cultured one, with more fat 
     than regulars)
     1/4 c anise seeds
     1/4 c anise liqueur (we always use Galiano)
     1/4 c Cointrou (this is expensive, but makes them taste good.  You could 
     substitute rum or whiskey or whatever you have, but the Cointrou is
     really good)
     6 eggs (yes you read that right)
     5 1/2 c of all purpose or pastry flour
     1 T baking powder
     2 c coarsely chopped almonds ( you could also use filberts)
     2 - 3 T orange zest
      
     Mix the sugar and butter, add the anise seeds and liqueurs.  Beat in the 
eggs. Mix the flour and baking powder together and stir thoroughly into the
sugar mixture.  Then mix in the nuts.
      
 *Cover and refrigerate a while...at least 3 hrs, or overnight*
      
     Shape the dough into two loaves about an inch 1/2 inch thick, 2 inches 
wide and as long as the baking sheet.  Make sure they are on opposite
sides of the pan, as they will expand.  Bake for 20 min or until lightly 
browned in a preheated 375 F oven.
      
     Remove from the oven and let the loaves cool until you can touch them, 
then cut them like a loaf of bread, in slices around 1/2 inch thick.  Put the
slices cut sides down on the baking sheet (they can be touching) and bake in 
the same temp oven for another 15 min or until lightly toasted. 
Cool on wire racks, they may be dipped in chocolate at this point.  
      
     Makes a lot, about 8 doz, but there never are too many.
      
     These are somewhat time consuming, but well worth the effort. They aren't 
what Americans usually think of as biscotti as they aren't twice
baked. Biscotti actually just means biscuit or cookie. The cookie is from the 
south of Italy. I got the recipe from _La Dolce Vita_ by Michele Scicolone
      
     Biscotti di Vino Marsala
      
     2 1/2 c flour
     2 1/2 t baking powder
     1 t salt
     2 large eggs
     1 c sugar
     1/2 c dry Marsala
     1/4 c olive oil
     1/2 t vanilla extract
      
     Preheat the oven to 375 and grease two large baking sheets
     Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
      
     In a large bowl beat the eggs and 1/2 c of the sugar until well blended.  
Beat in 1/4 c of Marsala, all the oil and the vanilla.  Stir in the dry
ingredients.
      
     Divide the dough into 6 pieces and cut each one into 8 pieces.  Roll each 
piece between your palms into a 4-inch log and shape it into a ring,
pinching the edges together to seal.
      
     Place the remaining 1/2 c sugar and remaining 1/4 c Marsala in two small 
bowls, Dip one side of each cookie first in the wine, then in the sugar. 
Place the cookies sugar side up 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.  Bake for 
18 - 20 min or until golden brown.  Transfer to wire racks to cool.



The recipe is from "Baking with Julia".  If you like to bake, buy this book!  
I've never had a flop.  The contributing baker was Nick Malgieri.  I re-used
the parchment sheets over and over again, until they got too brown.  It wasn't 
hard to cut the slices for the classically shaped biscotti if you didn't wait 
until they were stone cold.  In recipes like this, the freshness of your 
butter, eggs and flour and especially cornmeal, are important.  I think the
cornmeal makes or breaks it.  I don't think I would want to make them if the 
boxed kind was all I had access too.
      
     Cornmeal-Currant Biscotti
      
     Makes 2 1/2 to 3 dozen biscotti.
      
     Among pastry lovers, Venice is known for its cookies, and amoung the best 
known are these cornmeal-currant biscotti called zaleti, Venetian for "little 
yellow things".  In northern Italy, cornmeal is a common ingredient in 
desserts, and in Venice, zaleti are as common as chocolate chip cookies are in 
the States.  Traditionally made in diamond shapes, they also can be made like 
classic biscotti-- i.e., sliced and twice-baked; see box on page 318. 
      
     1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
     1 cup all-purpose flour
     1/3 c sugar
     1 teaspoon baking powder
     1/4 teaspoon salt
     1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 to 8 pieces
     1 cup plump currants (or raisins)
     1 large egg
     1 large egg yolk
     1 teaspoon lemon zest (the candied peels won out slightly over plain ones 
        in taste tests)
     1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
     (I also added 1 teaspoon of lemon extract...just call it overkill) 
      
     Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F.  
Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
      
     Put the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl 
and stir with a rubber spatula to blend.  Add the butter to the bowl and,
working with your fingertips or a pastry blender, rub the pieces into the dry 
ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Don't' worry if there are 
a few lumps; you'll work them out as you knead the dough later.  Stir in the 
currants.
      
     Whisk the egg, egg yolk, lemon zest, and vanilla (and lemon extract if you 
use it) together in a small bowl, then, with your fingers or a rubber
spatula, stir them into the flour mixture.  At this point, the dough won't 
come together in the bowl and it may seem a little dry, but if you pinch a bit
between your fingers, it will hold together.
      
     Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly, 
folding th dough over onto itself a few times, until smooth.  Cut the dough
into 4 pieces and shape each piece into a 12-inch long log.  Press down gently 
on the logs with your palms to flatten them slightly and then cut
the logs on the diagonal every 1 1/2 inches to make 7 or 8 diamonds from each 
log.  Transfer the diamonds to the prepared pan.  Since the ends
of the logs will not form perfectly shaped diamonds, set the scraps aside, 
and then, after all the logs have been cut, gather them together and
shape them into a mini-log.  Flatten the log, angle each end by pressing it 
with the back of your knife, and cut into diamonds.
      
     Baking the cookies
 Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are a light golden 
color, firm to the touch and just slightly puffed.  Check after 5 minutes to 
see if the bottoms of the biscotti are browning too quickly; if so, slip a 
second baking sheet under the first one.  Slide the cookies, parchment paper
 and all, off the baking sheet and onto a rack to cool.
      
     Storing
 Diamond-shaped cookies will keep for up to a week in an airtight tin or 
plastic container; twice-baked biscotti will keep for about a month
similarly stored.
      
     Classically Shaped Biscotti
     After the dough has been kneaded, cut it in half and shape into 2 logs, 
each about 12 inches long.  Flatten the logs slightly--they should be about
3/4 inch high-- and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake the logs in 
a preheated 350 F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are firm
 to the touch and just a little puffed.  Let cool completely, then use a thin 
sharp serrated knife to carefully cut them into 1/3 inch thick slices.  Lay 
the cookies on the parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for another 10 to 15 
minutes, until they're lightly toasted.  The biscotti may still be a
bit soft, but they'll crisp as they cool.  Cool the biscotti on the pans.  
(Makes 5 to 6 dozen)