Honey Almond Biscotti

I knew biscotti was fairly easy to make and just hadn't attempted it yet.  I'm fairly turned off by the packaged biscotti that you get at the cafes.  It always seems to be rock hard and dry, but I know it's meant to dip in coffee as well (thus the convenient dipping shape).

I made some recently and decided to try to make it a nicer texture/consistency than the cafe variety. I chose a honey almond recipe and decided to dip and drizzle it in white chocolate as opposed to milk or dark chocolate.

Then, I had some with my coffee...

They turned out nice and chewy. Maybe it was how long I baked them or maybe it's just the recipe with the addition of the honey. But, I loved them.

The original recipe called for whole almonds which seemed like a bit much, so I used some toasted sliced almonds.

Shaped them, as indicated, on the Silpats.

Baked them and sliced them (and then baked the slices again).

Then dunked them in and drizzled them with melted white chocolate and let them dry.  This is quite the delectable treat to get away with for breakfast.

Recipe for Honey Almond Biscotti

Adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C. All purpose flour

1 1/2 C. plus 1 T. sugar

2 t. baking powder

3/4 t. salt

5 large eggs

1 T. honey

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

1 C. toasted sliced almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl to blend. Make well in center of dry ingredients. Add 4 eggs, honey, and vanilla to well. Stir egg mixture until blended; gradually mix in dry ingredients. Mix in almonds.

Drop dough onto prepared sheet by tablespoonfuls, forming two 12-inch-long by 2-inch-wide logs. Space logs 3 inches apart (or place on separate sheets). Using moistened fingertips, shape logs neatly. Beat remaining egg in small bowl. Brush logs generously with egg; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake logs until golden and firm to touch, about 15 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Transfer warm logs to work surface. Cut on slight diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, on 2 clean baking sheets. Bake until pale golden, about 8 minutes. Cool completely. Store airtight up to 1 week.

For chocolate dipping, melt down chocolate disks or chips, dip the biscotti in and place on wax paper to dry.

Peach Tart with Mascarpone Cream

I was meeting some friends for an outdoor concert and wanted to take a fresh summery dessert for us to share for our picnic.  With peaches in season in Michigan, this was probably the perfect recipe that I could have found and we all enjoyed it immensely.  I found the recipe using my Epicurious app on my iPad, but you can access it online also. How can you go wrong with fresh peaches tossed in sugar and lemon zest, raw sliced almonds for a little crunch and a honey glaze. It was still warm when we ate it at the picnic and was topped with the rich, sweet mascarpone cream. 

 The peaches were so pretty. I just love the orangey/red fuzzy peaches and they smell so fresh even before they're cut open. But when you pit them, the flesh of the fruit is just as pretty as the outside.

The tart pastry was a perfectly pliable and smooth pastry with the addition of a little powdered sugar for sweetness. The edges were folded over to smooth it out and it made the side of the tart nice and thick.

I grabbed a few photos at home before I went to the concert for our picnic.  I don't have any photos of the tart cut and topped with  mascarpone cream. But trust me, it was decadent. And, we all had smiles on our faces....from the tart, the good music and great friends.