SAVORY BISCOTTI

Our Food Matters Project group  made Biscotti this week. Margarita from Let's Cook and Be Friends chose Mark Bittman's recipe for Walnut Biscotti. In Mark's recipe he has removed the eggs and butter for a heathier version. Since I don't eat sweets often I decided to try a savory biscotti recipe. I had never made biscotti before so I followed a recipe by Giada De Laurentis. The biscotti batter is made with goat cheese and herbes de Provence. The flavors are amazing!

I never knew biscotti was so EASY to make. It just takes a few minutes to make the dough. You form it into a 13x 3 1/2 inch loaf. Bake it for 30 minutes, let it cool, slice it, and bake it again. The next time I make this (and that will be soon) I will try to adapt this recipe using Mark's recipe and leave out the butter and eggs. I think it will work.

I served the biscotti with French Lentil Soup and fresh greens from the garden.

For all the delicious takes on the recipe click here.

SAVORY BISCOTTI

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons herbes de Provence

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup (2 ounces) goat cheese, at room temperature

3 tablespoons sugar (I would use 2)

2 eggs, beaten, at room temperature

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, herbes de Provence, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and goat cheese together until smooth. Beat in the sugar and eggs. In batches, add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. With damp hands, form the dough into a 13-inch-long, 3 1/2-inch-wide loaf. Bake until light golden, about 30 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.

Transfer the loaf to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut the log on the diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake until pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Recipe by Giada De Laurentis