Fig Jam and Foxtrot by Lynn Bedford Hall

Author:Lynn Bedford Hall [Hall, Lynn Bedford]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781868728688
Publisher: Struik Publishers
Published: 2003-05-15T07:00:00+00:00

ALMOND BISCOTTI WITH CHERRIES AND AMARETTO

Not quite a rusk, not quite a biscuit, but crisp little things to dunk into coffee or sweet wine after a meal. The flavours have become more and more varied as their popularity has increased, and I have experimented with walnut and cinnamon, and pistachio and spice biscotti, but in the end this one seems to remain the favourite. I toast the almonds for added flavour, and use Amaretto instead of the artificial almond essence sometimes used.

3 large free-range eggs

200 ml (4/5 cup) castor sugar

2 ml (½ tsp) vanilla essence

30 ml (2 Tbsp) Amaretto liqueur

750 ml (3 cups) cake flour

a pinch of sea salt

5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder

2 ml (½ tsp) grated nutmeg

100 g blanched almonds, whole, slivered or flaked, toasted

12 glacé cherries, rinsed, dried and chopped

Whisk the eggs, castor sugar, vanilla essence and liqueur very well, until light and creamy. Sift in the flour, salt, baking powder and nutmeg. Using an electric whisk, mix to a soft dough, then gather up and work into a smooth ball with your hands. Place on a lightly floured board. Roll the dough (flouring your hands occasionally, as it can be sticky) into a log, incorporating the nuts and cherries as you go. (If you don’t like cherries, leave them out – I add them for their cheerful colour.) The almonds I use are usually the flaked ones, as it is easier to spread them throughout the dough so that in the end each slice contains a few pieces. When all the nuts and cherries are incorporated, divide into 2 logs, each about 24 cm long and 5 cm wide. Lighly oil a large baking sheet and cover the base with baking paper. Place the logs side by side, but apart, as they will puff up in the oven, and flatten gently with your palm. Bake at 160 °C for 30 minutes, until deep cream in colour. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Reduce temperature to 140 °C, slice off the pointy ends of logs, then slice the rest into diagonal 1 cm thick slices. Place flat on the sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Turn and bake for a further 20–30 minutes until dry and just beginning to look toasted. Cool on the baking sheet before storing airtight. Makes 40.

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