Chocolate-Dipped Pistachio Almond Biscotti | A Guest Post from Lemons & Anchovies
Friendsgiving I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with those dearest to your heart. As the weekend draws to a close, I am pleased to welcome my final guest to my virtual Friendsgiving table. One of the very first people who reached out to…
Friendsgiving
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with those dearest to your heart. As the weekend draws to a close, I am pleased to welcome my final guest to my virtual Friendsgiving table. One of the very first people who reached out to me when I started Kitchen Confidante has turned out to be someone I am so happy to consider a friend. Jean from Lemons and Anchovies is a kindred spirit, sharing not only my Filipino heritage, but the diverse flavor palate that comes from having such a flavorful upbringing. She is such a joy to know, and I just know you will love the biscotti she brings to us today. I can see making a big batch of these and enjoying them with a big mug of rich coffee as the weather gets colder. And if I’m feeling up to it, I know they will make for a perfect holiday gift. Thank you, Jean!
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I am usually awake well before the alarm clock goes off at 5 am. I get up, put on a pot of tea to help banish the fog in my brain and prepare the turkey for the oven. I take printouts of new recipes–clean and unwrinkled–and acquaint them with old ones–tattered, stained, well-loved and most importantly, tried and true. I have welcomed the arrival of Thanksgiving Day this way for many years.
This brings to mind that not-so-calm first Thanksgiving that my husband and I hosted a decade ago. I had never before roasted a turkey. In fact, I may have had only a handful of roast chickens under my belt at the time so a 20-pound turkey prompted the worst kind of fear in the budding home cook that I considered myself to be then. What if my turkey turned out dry and flavorless or worse yet, brown outside and uncooked inside? Would I have enough side dishes to make up for turkey failure?
Thankfully, my mother was a seasoned pro with Thanksgiving meals. I had no choice but to seek her aid. However, she was 120 miles away and not due to arrive with the rest of my family until noon, so I did the next best thing: I made my mother give me step-by-step instructions over the phone. Once the bird was in the oven I must have called her every half-hour just to give her an account of how I was doing–of course I gave her updates on the turkey, too. She kept me from panicking, assured me that the turkey would be fine (indeed it was). I gave her no reprieve and pestered her on the phone as she and my father drove the two hours to reach my front door. She made the gravy, too, if I remember correctly. She saved the day in her usual calm, self-assured manner–a trait I did not inherit. This remains one of my most vivid Thanksgiving memories.
Each succeeding Thanksgiving has given me more confidence and has allowed me to settle into the routine I described earlier. Some years are more seamless than others–one overambitious year I fell behind schedule trying to make too many dishes and my family arrived to see me still cooking and in my pajamas–but these days peace and solitude are more frequent companions than stress and anxiety. At the noon hour my family arrives with more food and drink and the quiet of the morning is replaced by boisterous storytelling and laughter; it is loud but peace still permeates the air.
But my fondest memories of each Thanksgiving come later. When the cooking is behind me and I can focus on family instead of the food, when everyone has been well-fed and is satisfied, when my family has split into little groups to carry on different conversations around the house, I feel good because everyone is happy to be together. Inevitably, we find ourselves in the kitchen once more…for just one more bite of something. Stomachs are still too full to justify a second round of turkey and potatoes and another slice of rich cake would be just too sinful. To satisfy that craving to have just one more little nibble, these Chocolate-Dipped Pistachio Almond Biscotti would be just the ticket.
Liren, thank you for inviting me to be a part of your Friends-giving celebration. You are the very first friend I made as a food blogger so consider me very honored! I wish you and your family a happy, healthy Thanksgiving!
Chocolate-Dipped Pistachio Almond Biscotti
Ingredients
Instructions
Inspiration: Francois Payard in Simply Sensational Desserts
Comments
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Great guest post! I like biscotti, and these chocolate and nut biscotti look wonderful!
Thanks, friends, for your generous comments! These were such fun to make and even better, I’m so happy that Liren allowed me to share them here. Such a treat to be able to make an appearance on Liren’s fab blog!
Wishing everyone the happiest of holidays!
A lovely series, Liren, and Jean wraps it up beautifully! I can see myself in each scene she describes and, loving chocolate and pistachios and never having made biscotti, I’m inspired to make these – and all the while I’ll think of you two and the gift of friendship. Happy Holidays!
These are simply delightful, thanks for sharing :)
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Having had no sugar or flour for three days now, I want to jump into the screen and eat this. Biscotti are my favorite. A very nice guest post.
So nice to see Jean here! I would love a few of those biscotti with my tea rightnow.
Hi Liren and Jean! Both of you are not only a great cook and photographer but you two write so well. I enjoy reading the post, Jean! This biscotti sounds so delicious and I like the chocolate covered – gives me enough sweetness for my tea. Wonderful guest post ladies!
Very beautiful guest post, and Jean your biscotti look so delicious, and I love your awesome photos! Liren, Jean wishing you both fantastic holiday season!
The both of you are total sweethearts. Jean-Your biscotti look amazing. I would love a few right now with my coffee. Hugs to you both. Hope you had a wonderful holiday. xo
Oh I love biscotti and your pictures are just gorgeous! I would love to have a little bit of your talent :)
Off i go to visit your blog and hopefully make a new friend. Such a lovely post.
oh my goodness- amazing! I carved a turkey for the first time this year. So much harder than carving a chicken- you’d think a bigger bird would be easier!
It’s been a lovely trio of posts and Jean ties it all up so well. GREG
These would be just as perfect with my morning tea as with a cup of coffee post a large feast! Truly yummy!
Hope you both had a marvelous Thanksgiving and created new memories~
What a lovely post Jean and it is so wonderful to hear about different family traditions. I just love the photos, especially with the painting in the background – just stunning. I must try these biscotti – they look and sound divine. I am happy to call both of you my friends. Hope you both had a wonderful thanksgiving day! :-)
Liren,
Thanks so much for inviting me to your Friendsgiving table. You have been a supportive, encouraging friend throughout my (almost) two years of blogging. So happy to have you as a friend! :)
Yum! I just love almond biscotti and adding the chocolate is a bonus! I’ll me making these. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi girls. Two of my favorite bloggers in one post… yay. Hope you both had a lovely Thanksgiving. This recipe has been bookmarked. Almond and pistachio have to be among my favorite flavors of all time so this recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing :-)
Everyone seems to have a first turkey moment of panic! You are an early riser…glad you’ve got it down…great biscotti to relax with!
What a lovely post. I agree – its so nice to have everyone sitting around and chatting during and after a nice meal. We had a small group this year but it was perfect with my mom and sister, my husbands mom and step dad and my husband and children. Quiet but perfect especially since the grandparents are in their late 80s and 90s.
Each year prepping for Thanksgiving gets easier making the whole event so much more enjoyable. Your biscotti sound wonderful and perfect for the belly topper to a fantastic meal.
LoVely guest post Jean,I can imagine nibbling on one of your chocolate dipped biscotti quite easily. Thanks Liren for such an enjoyable guest and happy Sunday to both of you.