Almond,lemon,ginger biscotti

Neglect is never a good thing. Whether it's cleaning house, personal upkeep, people, and/or your your second child's birthday. Do I need to acknowledge fact that more than a few times I say aye to those incidences which may have deemed myself border-neglectful? I digress, when typing hands tend to wander, follow a mind that's always running out the door, bringing on deficits to the tiny nook of web I occupy and consider a part of me. Forget those pictures of a subject intended to appear much earlier than now, all of what I've just said disallows that to happen. And is it my imagination or has March zoomed by without taking me along? Clearly I need to bring an end to the anomaly, of planting megapixels and preworked ingredient lists onto neutral drafts, meantime, crunching my way through last two batches of what should be on display.

Biscotti. One of the many things I am grateful to the streets of Tuscany for. As I was tasting, testing, pottering through various biscotti possibilities, it occurred that not a single specimen claimed occupancy in BFMK archives. I beg you don't ask. Just know, it changes today and I'm busting out perfection in order to wane that gap.

This particular bulletin may be a life-alterer in terms of how both you and I bake the beauteous Italian biscoot. It's when Giada, in all her gorgeousness, convinces you that production of the Italian classic is noncomplex and mostly foolproof, thus having you in full hopes that your own finished product will end up identical to her 5starred one.

Atypical of the crunchy, no-chew cookie, biscotti is how it sounds, almost biscuity and I truly believe it should come with a clause... pair it with a hot beverage of dunk-and-saturate standard. A flavorbank of almonds, following a twice bake method is finished off with white chocolate smears. Sturdy, yet yielding in its crisp, airy enough to munch on in succession, thereon, there's a definable reverence that comes in stride with each sequential bite.  For sure it emphasizes a deliciousness recollective of vintage tinned goods, ushering accompaniment from 6 ounces of Earl Grey or masala tea, depending on which part of the world you're from.

Deconstructing the whole into key power components that, in fact, provide noteworthy leverage, will aid in understanding the only result that should be tolerated, that of an Amazing Oblong Cookie. Cornmeal imparts sandy-soft texture, lemon zest the fresh burst of Spring, which some of you living in tundra parts of the country might greatly appreciate and ginger sources adequate dimension and bite, thus yielding a proven winner for anytime- alltime snack coverage.

Finally, due to my innate flair for impeccable timing, I'm dispatching this out before April fools'...just so you know, a batch of these and the hand that brought them forth do the endorsement seriously. No jokes.

We'll save that for tomorrow.

(Adapted from Food Network- almond, lemon biscotti dipped in white chocolate: Giada De Laurentiis)
Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp grated lemon zest
• ¾ cup slivered almonds
• 18 oz white chocolate chips
• ⅓ cup chopped crystallized ginger

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Line baking tray with parchment or nonstick silicone baking mat.
• Sift flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt.
• In another large bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs till pale yellow. Mix in vanilla extract and zest.
• Add flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat until just blended. Stir in the almonds.
• Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes.
• With floured hands divide dough in half. Shape each half into approximately 9 inch long, 3 inch wide log. Transfer both logs onto prepared baking sheet, equally spacing apart.
• Bake logs for 30-35 minutes until pale golden.
• Take out and cool for 5 minutes. 
• Transfer logs to cutting board or counter. Using serrated knife, cut logs on the diagonal into 3/4 inch slices.
• Arrange biscotti cut side down not same baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes.
• Turn biscotti over and bake for an additional 5-8 minutes or until color changes to light toasted brown. Turn over on wire rack and cool completely
• Meanwhile, place chocolate chips in a microwave safe plastic bowl, and place in microwave at 50% power,  heating at 30 second intervals, mixing well with rubber spatula after each interval until it slowly begins to melt. Once most of the chips are melted, stir and allow the remaining chips to melt in the residual heat. Stir well until mixture is completely smooth.
• Dip the end of each biscotti in chocolate and set over wire rack. ( I don't like too much on mine so a smear or two is most appreciated) Sprinkle a few pieces of ginger on dipped ends.  Allow chocolate to harden.
• Can be stored in airtight container for upto a week.

March 2015~ like Hostess chocolate cream cupcakes, Indian sloppy joe sliders

March 2014~ dressing it up-three salads, banana chikoo shake

March 2013~birds in nest cupcakes, paneer butter masala, homemade paneer (cheese), sambar(Indian lentil stew), flatbread

March 2012~ fish stew, pavlova, easy tandoori chicken, aval vilayichathu (sweetened flat rice), chilli chicken/vegetable noodles, appam and beef mappas

******

"Lead my longing heart To the high ground, to the clear view And in awe I'll be there Beholding You"

Transfiguration, Hillsong Worship

 Hallelujah, My King. 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..." 1Peter 1:3