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!

Cookies: Italian Ginetti Cookie

By Tom Griffiths • December 17, 2025
Butter, spices, and traditional family recipes bring us together in the simplest—and most meaningful—ways. This is a cookie my mother baked at Easter time. The lemon sugar crust is delicious... perfect with coffee or tea.

Cookies: Snowball Nut Cookie

By Tom Griffiths • December 17, 2025
Butter, spices, and traditional family recipes bring us together in the simplest—and most meaningful—ways. Christmas cookies are more than nostalgic treats; they’re a celebration of childhood memories, and maybe cookies help to make us all a little more patient, thoughtful & friendly each holiday season. I remember driving with my father to the city each Christmas to pick up Aunt Flora. She would send us out with decorative plates of homemade, Italian Christmas cookies to deliver to the local relatives. It was always snowing-we would spend a few minutes visiting each family, have a few cookies and a glass of sweet wine or coffee. My mother and aunts began baking cookies the day after Thanksgiving. They filled the freezer with shoe boxes of cookies lined with wax paper for protection... frozen cookies are pretty delicious!

Cookies: Pignoli

By Tom Griffiths • December 15, 2025
Years ago I traveled to Santa Fe and Alburque with my son Ciro. We enjoyed fantastic Southwest cuisine at local shops and cafes. A highlight was purchasing fresh pine nuts in the shell- a little challenging to get the nuts out of the shells but the flavor was fantastic.

Sausages

By Tom Griffiths • December 15, 2025
I taught garde manger for years at the CIA... it was one of my favorite classes. I love caviar, foie gras, preparing hors d' oeuvres, decorative platters and especially forcemeats. And yes... I love making watermelon carvings too!

Mother Sauces: Sauce Tomat

By Tom Griffiths • December 8, 2025
I was amazed to learn of a French Tomato sauce (Sauce Tomat) as a young, CIA students many years ago. It's very different than the Italian sauce my mother made each week for Sunday dinner. I enjoy purchasing cases of inexpensive, local tomatoes in late summer called 'seconds'. These tomatoes are generally ripe, bruised tomatoes which I wash, chop and freeze to invite a taste of summer in my kitchen during the cold, winter months.

Beginners Recipe: Garlic Bread

By Tom Griffiths • December 3, 2025
Choosing Garlic: For the best flavor, select firm, heavy heads with tight skins. Hardneck garlic varieties (such as Music or German Red) offer more complexity and a cleaner heat than most supermarket softneck varieties. Preventing Bitterness: Garlic burns quickly. Add minced garlic to warm—not scorching—fat, and cook just until fragrant. Overcooking turns it harsh and metallic. Balancing Butter & Olive Oil: A blend of butter for richness and extra-virgin olive oil for aroma delivers a more nuanced flavor and prevents the butter from over-browning under the broiler. their color and freshness.

Peeling and cutting Pears

By Tom Griffiths • December 3, 2025
There is a large variety of Pears available to cook with. I remember peeling and poaching tiny, Seckel pears for garde manger presentations-challenging! Pears, like apples vary widely in texture, flavor, and culinary performance, making selection an important step in recipe development. Bartlett are juicy and great to eat ripe or for purees and sauces. Bosc are a little more dense and good for cooking. Red and green Anjou are more versatile and can be eaten fresh in salads as well as cooked in baked goods or savory dishes.

Cookies: Sugar Cookie

By Tom Griffiths • December 2, 2025
Butter, spices, and traditional family recipes bring us together in the simplest—and most meaningful—ways. Christmas cookies are more than nostalgic treats; they’re a celebration of childhood memories, and maybe cookies help to make us all a little more patient, thoughtful & friendly each holiday season. I remember driving with my father to the city each Christmas to pick up Aunt Flora. She would send us out with decorative plates of homemade, Italian Christmas cookies to deliver to the local relatives. It was always snowing-we would spend a few minutes visiting each family, have a few cookies and a glass of sweet wine or coffee. My mother and aunts began baking cookies the day after Thanksgiving. They filled the freezer with shoe boxes of cookies lined with wax paper for protection... frozen cookies are pretty delicious!

Beginners Recipe: Grilled Mozzarella

By Tom Griffiths • December 2, 2025
With just a few delicious ingredients and a little attention, you can turn an everyday sandwich into something crisp, gooey, and deeply satisfying... delicious. Try topping the melted cheese sandwich with fresh basil or sun-dried tomato or prosciutto as you take it from the oven-amazing.

Beginners Recipe: Scrambled Eggs

By Tom Griffiths • December 1, 2025
Chefs aspiring to become CIA Instructors are often tested on a variety of egg dishes. Omelettes and poached eggs are a little tricky unless you are using your own pan and have practiced and practiced and practiced! Scrambled eggs are more civilized; Escoffier writes about scrambling eggs with a clove of garlic stuck on the end of a paring knife-I do this sometimes for the amazing flavor... Try flavoring scrambled eggs with shredded cheese, shaved truffles, smoked ham, veggies or herbs, scrambled eggs with buttered toast is the perfect comfort food.