Savory Fennel Parmesan Biscotti
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 hour and 40 min
Total time: A bit over 2 hours
Yield: Makes about 64 biscotti
In this recipe I've replaced the sweet elements in biscotti with pinenuts, Parmesan cheese and fennel seed, to make a savory adult biscotti that is perfect with cocktails. Around the holidays I bundle them with a bottle of sparkling wine to give as gifts.
Part of Homemade Holiday Gifts from Sally Schneider from the December 13, 2003 episode.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) pinenuts or walnuts
- 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 3 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
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Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Put the pine nuts in a pie pan and roast, tossing them occasionally, until fragrant, about 7 minutes. Let cool and finely chop. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, Parmigiano Reggiano, cornmeal, Pecorino Romano, fennel seeds, salt, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, black pepper and cayenne. Stir in the chopped pine nuts and make a well in the center. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the egg and pour into the well. Stir with a fork until a crumbly dough forms.
- 2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth but still slightly sticky. Divide the dough into four parts and cover with plastic wrap. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time and keeping the rest tightly wrapped, roll the dough into a 1-inch diameter (about 14 inches long). Repeat with the remaining dough. Put the logs on 2 baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake on the top 2 shelves of the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden; shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. As the logs bake, the tops may split down the middle. Let the logs cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
- 3. Turn the oven down to 200° F. Transfer the logs to the work surface. Using a serrated knife and a sawing motion, slice the logs on sharp diagonal, into 1/4 to 1/3-inch thick slices. Arrange the slices cut side up on the baking sheets and place in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes, until hard to the touch but not browned. Turn the biscotti over and bake 40 minutes longer until they are dry and crisp. Set the biscotti aside to cool and dry further several hours or overnight. The biscotti will keep several weeks in an airtight container.
About The Show
In 1994, acclaimed food writer and cooking teacher Lynne Rossetto Kasper was receiving accolades for her debut book, The Splendid Table, which at that time was the only book to have won both the James Beard and Julia Child Cookbook of the Year awards. Among the many people enchanted by the book was producer and foodie Sally Swift, who thought the time could be right for a radio program on food.
