Mosaic Biscotti

I got a call the other day from someone who requested "hard" biscotti, as he called it. He said he didn't like any other kind because he liked to gnaw on it! What he was referring to, obviously, was the more traditional Italian biscotti using not oil or butter, just eggs. So, having already made this kind of biscotti and actually a recipe similar to this one, I wanted to research and find a new one.

This recipe is from Gina De Palma's book, "Dolce Italiano". She's the executive pastry chef at Babbo, Mario Batali's restaurant. Although the name of this biscotti is Mosaic, mine doesn't look too colorful because I chose to use hazelnuts and almonds rather than pistachios, which would have given the biscotti a more "mosaic" coloring. Dried cranberries or dried cherries would have also helped give more color.

I love this biscotti. It's certainly crunchy...that alone gets my vote, but I really love the hazelnuts and chocolate together. I used bittersweet chocolate chips but semisweet chocolate would be great, too. And, because there's no fat in it other than from the egg yolks, could we call it healthy? Well, maybe just a little!

So first whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Then beat the eggs and yolkss and 2 cups of the sugar.

Beat in the vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients, then the chocolate and nuts.

Divide the dough into 5 logs ( I halved the recipe and just formed 2 logs).

Beat a little of the egg whites and brush the tops and sides of the biscotti, then sprinkle with a little sugar.

Bake the logs 20 to 25 minutes, or til lightly golden and firm to the touch.

Allow the logs to cool 40 minutes, then slice on the diagonal, using a serrated knife.

Lower the oven temp. to 200.

Lay the slices on the baking sheet and bake 20 minutes longer.

Mosaic Biscotti (from "Dolce Italiano" by Gina De Palma)

Makes about 6 dozen

3 1/2 cups unbleached AP flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher slat

4 large eggs

2 large egg yolks, plus 1 egg white for glaze

2 cups sugar, plus 1 1/5 tbsp. for glaze

2 tsp. vanilla

12 ozs. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped ( I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chips)

2 cups skinned or unskinned hazelnuts

2 cups whole, unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped ( I used almonds)

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Preheat oven to 325. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

2. Beat together the eggs, egg yolks and 2 cups of the sugar on medium speed til pale and thick, about 2 minutes.

3. Beat in the vanilla, then the dry ingredients, then the chocolate and nuts, til the dough is thoroughly mixed.

4. Divide the dough into 5 equal portions. Place each portion onto baking sheet and form into logs about 12" long and about 1 1/2" high, spacing logs about 3" apart.

5. In a small bowl, beat the egg white til frothy and brush the tops and sides of each log, then sprinkle with the remaining granulated sugar.

6. Bake logs 20 to 25 minutes, or til they're lightly golden brown and firm to the touch. Rotate sheets halfway through baking time.

7. Allow the logs to cool on the baking sheets on a wire rack til they're cool enough to handle, about 40 minutes. Then lift off the sheet and cool further on wire rack.

8. Using a serrated knife, cut slices on the diagonal about 1/2" to 3/4" thick ( depending on your preference but I think because they're hard, they should be cut 1/2").

9. Lower the oven temp. to 200 and lay the slices in a single layer back onto the baking sheets and bake again 20 minutes. Remember the biscotti will harden as they cool so don't overbake them or they're really be hard!

Stor them in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks.