Well, now, it’s feeling a little bit frosty this morning.
I guess I need to communicate directly with Tim Cook. My iPhone location function has me in different locations – depending on which floor of the house I’m on and on the day of the week. I could be in numerous towns, one mysterious one that doesn’t even exist, and different counties depending on, well, I guess a satellite somewhere. Hmmmm. I know my friends around here are perplexed by this as well!
I hate to admit it, but I find the dry cold invigorating and motivating in December. I want to do a little bit more decorating and a lot more baking. And, you can’t be in the holiday spirit without a plate of lovely biscotti on your table.
My most fortuitous meeting with Roseann Tully began many years ago when I wrote a letter to the editor of Intermezzo Magazine. I was already a longtime fan of Intermezzo and I was asking for help finding a cookie recipe that might match my Grandmother’s Sweet Taralli. Roseann kindly published my letter in her magazine and a kinship was kindled. We found we shared a passion for a number our cultural similarities, a love of Paris, Cape Cod, fine china, recipes, a fascination with palate and eye, and an all-around incurable wanderlust. The rest, shall we say is happy history! Meeting someone like Roseann is what I consider a gift of lasting meaning and substance.
Much has transpired since our first real meeting at the Newport Food and Wine Festival and nowadays, I consider Roseann a role model and mentor in so many ways. She found it in her heart to offer me an incredible gift – the opportunity to try my hand at editing, and, to publish my own ideas and photos in her magazine – a chance I wouldn’t get at this stage in my game in the corporate publishing world. She is truly an inspiration as the independent publisher of 2 top magazines – Intermezzo and the new, award-winning SIP. It is a great credit to Roseann to be launching independent print publications in this day and age and winning awards at that!
Here is her recipe for Cranberry-Chocolate Chip Almond Biscotti, which she has kindly shared.
photos courtesy Roseann Tully
CRANBERRY-CHOCOLATE CHIP ALMOND BISCOTTI – recipe adapted from Maria Sanchez* by Roseann Tully
Makes 24 large or 36 small biscotti
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
2 TB vanilla extract
2 TB amaretto liqueur or dark rum
2 cups sliced or whole almonds
6 cups all-purpose flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch salt
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup mini chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light in color.
- Add eggs, vanilla and liquor; mix well.
- Add flour, baking powder and salt on low speed. Add almonds, cranberries and chocolate chips and mix just until combined.
- Turn dough out onto floured surface. Divide dough into 5 equal pieces. Roll into loaves about 12 inches long and place 3” apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.
- Transfer loaves onto a wire cooling rack using a very large spatula so loaves do not break (alternatively, cool on the parchment atop the rack).
- Place cooled loaves on a cutting board and cut diagonally into ½” strips. Place cut-side down on cookie sheet and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes. Cool on cooling racks and store in an airtight container.
nestled all snug in their beds – photo courtesy Roseann Tully
*Maria Sanchez is the award-winning owner of Sweet Maria’s Bakery in Waterbury, Connecticut and the author of several very successful cookbooks (all on my shelves). She is the longtime sweets contributor to Intermezzo Magazine.
Variations I’m going to try: Hazelnut, Orange and Crystalized Ginger, Cherry, Coconut and Espresso…….
Stay warm! I hear a polar vortex is coming and that four-letter word…….SNOW!