Saturday, November 20, 2010

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti






The husband was in a celebratory mood. Maybe cuz it was sunny and cold outside and we’d had cheese omelets made with happy eggs and scallions. That combination always makes him happy. I was fairly un-moody myself and had a huge batch of granola going which always makes the house smell crisp and cinamonny when it’s baking. I had also decided it was time for biscotti, when Denis wandered into the kitchen to suggest we needed a special dinner tonight and me, being me did not say make it yourself, but that could have been what I wanted to say. I try to be careful and pure in heart. When I said an elongated whiny wellllll. Anita, being the sensitive discerning person she is suggested takeout, explaining I’m sure you weren’t really planning on being in the kitchen all day. I wasn’t. I timidly offered that rather than takeout today might be a good time for Denis to expand his cooking repertoire from waffles to waffles plus one other thing. He’s a very smart person and could do this if he put his mind to it. Imagine my delight when he grabbed the Mediterranean Cook book and found Ground Meat and Rice Balls in Lemon Sauce! The blessing of it! He even had to go to the store to get fresh mint and parsley. The smell of garlic and lemons wafting out of the kitchen is pretty enticing, but I’ll need to wait to find out for sure. He’s a pretty great guy even though right now he is also searching for a pasta recipe he once made years ago and I don’t know why he wants that. He thinks I threw it away because it is made entirely of butter, butter, butter and a few breadcrumbs and ground pecans. Maybe I did throw it out. I don’t remember.

I did make the following biscotti recipe which is a change from the usual almond chocolate whatever. They are a really wonderful treat, especially if you like concrete dipped in coffee. Pistachios cost the earth but they’re a little cheaper when you shell them yourself. Otoh, you have to factor in that whoever shells them may also eat a cup while doing the job.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

¼ cup light olive oil
¾ cup sugar
2 t. vanilla
2 eggs
1 ¾ cup flour
¼ t. salt
1 t. baking powder
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup pistachios

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Mix oil and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and gradually add to egg mixture. Work in cranberries and pistachios. Roll into two logs 2x12 inches. Dough will be sticky. Wet hands with cool water to handle more easily. Place on cookie sheet on parchment paper if you have it. Or lightly oil the pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until logs are light brown. Cool for 10 minutes. Cut diagonally into ¾ inch thick slices. Place back on the cookie sheet and back again for 10 minutes. I like them pretty rock-hard, so I turn them all over put them back in the oven for about another 10 – 15 minutes.

4 comments:

Dawn Merz said...

Delightful to dip into your day! I think I will have to start Thanksgiving week with making some Biscotti myself. Thanks for the recipe!

RT said...

Hi again! I'll attempt to leave a comment once more. And this time I'll admit that I should try biscotti before judging it too harshly. It's been a long time since I've had any!

Anonymous said...

I've been following your husband's blog and am interested in following yours as well. You speak, write, bake, mentor... etc... etc... I'd be interested in hearing what types of things are non-negotiables in your life, what is absolutely excluded, and what you consider occassional luxuries. I'm not sure what to search for on your blog, but do you have any posts to that effect? I'm a mom who sometimes goes a little snakey with everything going on, but desperately wants to grow into silence. I'm interested in listening to that end.

Margie Haack said...

Anonymous, welcome to my blog and thanks for your comment. Things change with stages of life and circumstances some things I once thought were luxuries are now necessities. (I'd like to include coffee & chocolate) But the foundations remain - God's constant mercy, grace, and love for all of life. Unfortunately this is not a blog about one thing. I'd probably have a larger readership if it were. So as it is, I write what strikes me at the moment making it difficult to categorize.