Burnt Ends...  my absolute favorite biscotti memory is crunching on hard, biscotti ends, perfect for dipping into black coffee. There was a fantastic biscotti bakery in upstate NY. The wonderful owners prepared a variety of biscotti, shipping to all parts of the country... and I loved the ends!
My children worked there a few days weekly so it was always fun to pick them up at the end of the shift & pick up some biscotti.

Biscotti

Biscotti are delicious, crunchy cookies, great to dunk in a cup espresso. The cookies are very hard as they are 'twice baked'.

Personally I love anise flavored biscotti (like the Stella Dora cookies I grew up eating) but especially the biscotti with nuts inside. For some reason my Aunt Flora was the biscotti baker while my mother focused on other cookies.


Probably the most interesting biscotti experiences I've enjoyed were in Florence, Italy and Barcelona, Spain. In Florence I enjoyed cantucci (small almond biscotti) with Vin Santo wine... a classic pairing!  Chef Joseba Encabo took me to a small bar in  Barcelona, directly across from a church, that served a variety of fortified wines from spigots in the wall with Spanish biscotti. Two young woman bought the bar -after church dozens of people would stop in for wine and biscotti; at night it was a popular, crowded tapas style bar with loud music.


Cornmeal Biscotti

Prep Time: 30 min

Cooking Time: 40 min

Yield: 12 portions

Ingredients                                            

2 Cups       AP Flour, sifted 

8 Tb.          Cornmeal

1 Cup         Sugar           

1/2 tsp.     Kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp   Baking powder

1 Tb           Vanilla extract 

4 ea           Eggs, whisked  

2 Tb          Butter, melted  


Toasted Walnut Biscotti     

Yield: 12 portions

Ingredients                                           

2 Cups          AP Flour, sifted 

3/4 Cup        Sugar     

1/4 Cup        Honey     

1/4 tsp.         Kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp      Baking powder

1 tsp            Vanilla extract 

3 ea              Eggs, whisked 

3 Tb            Butter, melted 

4 Tb.          Walnuts, toasted & peeled (place in a clean towel and rub after toasting to get the peels off)

1 Tb           Cinnamon


Almond Paste Biscotti

Yield: 12 portions

Ingredients                                            

2 Cup         AP Flour, sifted 

1/2 Cup     Sugar           

1/2 tsp.     Kosher salt

1 tsp.         Baking powder

7 oz           Almond Paste

1 Tb           Vanilla extract 

4 ea           Eggs, whisked  

8 Tbsp     Butter, cold                         



for this recipe, mix the almond paste, butter, flour, sugar, aking powder and salt together in a bowl and blend with a whisk so that the butter and almond paste are very small (pea size) similar to a pie crust. Add the remaining ingredients and blend-continue steps 2-4 below. This dough is softer and spreads but delicious!


How to Prepare Biscotti


Step 1  Making the dough

Combine all of the dry ingredients & place into a bowl.

Slowly whisk the vanilla & eggs (honey if applicable) into the dry ingredients, then add the melted butter and whisk to form a dough. Do not overmix.








Fold in a garnish if you choose, such as toasted nuts, citrus zest, dried fruits etc...



Step 2  Forming 

Form the dough into a ball, then separate into 2 parts, let the dough rest for 20 minutes, then form into 2 logs.







Roll/ form the logs into loaves. Place the loaves onto a lightly oiled sheet tray.

These are two cornmeal biscotti loaves.



Step 3 Baking

Bake the loaves on the sheet tray in a preheated oven at 350ºF. Bake until golden brown and firm. (about 20 minutes).

Place the sheet pan of baked biscotti onto a cooling rack and let set until cool (or overnight).

This is a cornmeal biscotti log (left) and toasted walnut log (right).




Using a thin, sharp knife, cut into 1/4 inch slices.

I use the thinnest, sharpest knife I have to avoid breaking the biscotti. Ceramic knives work great.



Place the sliced biscotti back on to the sheet pan and bake at 250ºF a second time until golden brown and dry/hard.  (about 20 minutes).


Step 4 Storing/ eating

Store in a covered container, you can freeze the biscotti if you like. I always save the hard, crunchy ends for myself-amazing dunked into black coffee!

Roast Leg of Lamb

By Tom Griffiths • April 8, 2026
There are certain dishes that stay with you—not just for their flavor, but for what they represent. For me, roasting a leg of lamb over Pommes boulangère is one of those meals. I don't recall having lamb at any occasions growing up so this was a dish that I proudly introduced to our family. As a young cook, it was something I could prepare with limited experience, and it provided deeply satisfying results. The lamb roasts in the oven over a bed of potatoes, onions, and garlic, allowing its natural juices and fat to baste the vegetables below. It's actually a simple preparation but becomes a complete, delicious meal—the potatoes absorbing flavor and becoming just as important as the roast itself. These days I'm developing delicious recipes using spice blends such as Ras el hanout, Baharat, Za'atar, Togarashi and even Harissa. I also love roasting leg of lamb outdoors on a grill or rotisserie. I like the subtle smokiness from applewood or dried herbs when I'm roasting lamb outdoors.

Potatoes Boulangère

By Tom Griffiths • April 8, 2026
There are certain dishes that stay with you—not just for their flavor, but for what they represent. For me, Pommes boulangère is one of those dishes. As a young cook, it was a delicious meal I could prepare for my family with my limited culinary experience. I often return to this preparation when roasting whole chicken, pork, or lamb—letting the potatoes, onions, and garlic absorb the natural juices from the protein as it cooks. The potatoes becomes more than a side dish; it’s the foundation of the meal.

Holiday Au Graten Potatoes

By Tom Griffiths • April 7, 2026
There are countless versions of Potatoes au gratin , many of them heavy with cheese. I prefer a more restrained approach—using little or no cheese—so the flavor of the potatoes remains the focus rather than being masked. Milk produces a lighter, more delicate gratin, while light or heavy cream creates a richer, more structured dish. Both are valid—it simply depends on the desired outcome. One constant, however, is nutmeg. Used sparingly, it acts as a quiet “secret weapon,” adding depth without calling attention to itself. This recipe is inspired by Xavier LeRoux, one of the finest chefs I’ve had the privilege to work with. His method includes an extra step—gently simmering the potatoes in cream before baking—which yields a noticeably superior result. The potatoes begin to release their starch into the cream early, ensuring a more uniform texture and a fully integrated dish from the first bite to the last.

My favorite Brownies

By Tom Griffiths • March 19, 2026
There are plenty of brownie recipes—and then there is the one that lives in memory. This is the only brownie recipe I bake, from Julia Child, whose influence reached far beyond French cuisine and into the home kitchens of passionate bakers like my mother. A devoted admirer, she baked these brownies often—usually for the dessert trolley at my restaurant. We featured a brownie freeze... brownie cubes with homemade vanilla ice cream, warm melted chocolate and freshly whipped cream-amazing! For me, this recipe is more than a classic—it’s a reflection of how great cooking is passed down: through admiration, repetition, and a deep love of craft.

Curing Salmon fillet

By Tom Griffiths • March 19, 2026
I taught garde manager for many years at the CIA and this is one of my favorite recipes from class. I actually developed this recipe with one of my students, inspired by a recipe he had learned on his externship.

Dessert; Irish Soda Breadd

By Tom Griffiths • March 17, 2026
We ate Irish soda bread one day each year—and it was never store-bought. Soda bread wasn’t part of our cultural lineage, but it earned its place through something more universal: respect for tradition. My mother was not an occasional baker— growing up, her baking centered on Italian traditions: special Christmas cookies, the Vigna family birthday cake, and beautifully braided Easter breads that reflected heritage. Later, like many serious home bakers of her generation, she was influenced by Julia Child . That influence expanded her repertoire into classic European pastry—Paris-Brest, pound cakes, even German chocolate cake. The iconic cross cut into the top of the loaf is often said to “let the fairies out,” though in professional kitchens we recognize its functional role: allowing heat to penetrate and the loaf to expand evenly during baking.

Authentic Guacamole, Hospitality, and the Responsibility of Feeding People

By Tom Griffiths • February 26, 2026
Authentic Guacamole, Hospitality, and the Responsibility of Feeding People

Beginners recipe: Vegetable Stock

By Tom Griffiths • January 16, 2026
I recently volunteered to prepare vegetable paella for a church Bible group potluck. I was very excited to develop a delicious, new paella recipe and spent time preparing fresh vegetable stock with flavors of the Mediterranean. I always prepare vegetable and fish stocks fresh, as I intend to use them. I’m not a fan of bases or frozen stocks but I sometimes add a small amount of quality base to my stocks.  A vegetable stock with mirepoix, cabbage, mushrooms makes sense in certain applications, for certain recipes—but why would we use a mushroom or cabbage-forward stock in a paella? It doesn’t make culinary sense. Paella is a Mediterranean dish originating in the Valencia region of Spain as a humble meal cooked on an open fire. I’ve enjoyed wonderful paella meals in Valencia prepared with water-not stock, prepared with rabbit, snails and local beans. While traveling through Spain this spring I researched and sampled many styles of paella… no mushrooms, no carrots, no celery and no cabbage.

Beginners recipe: Breakfast Burritos

By Tom Griffiths • January 16, 2026
I still remember cooking breakfast burritos with my son Daniel, for volunteer workers at church events—simple, hearty, and made to fuel a long day of service. The workers were always so appreciative. Years later, I served a crowd favorite, nicknamed “The Bacon-ator,” a breakfast superstar inspired by the over-the-top spirit of fast-food indulgence. We had a popular food booth at the local country fair, where we cooked hundreds of breakfast burritos each day-stuffed with Mexican cheeses, extra bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, and fresh salsa—nothing pre-made, nothing rushed. Every burrito was warm, fresh, and full of flavor. When food is made with love, even the most straightforward breakfast is memorable.

Beginners recipe: Stuffed Peppers

By Tom Griffiths • January 15, 2026
Chefs often share a bond that transcends politics, religion, and borders. While working in Saudi Arabia with a diverse group of chefs, I experienced this firsthand on my final day. To mark the occasion, they prepared special dishes representing their home countries—a generous feast rooted in tradition and pride. At the center of the table was a beautiful tray of stuffed peppers, zucchini, cabbages, squash, and other vegetables, each prepared with care and respect. As we shared the meal, the chefs beamed with pride, and the room filled with a sense of genuine camaraderie. It was a powerful reminder that food remains one of the most universal languages we have.