Around the World in 30 Plates: Italy - Breakfast - Espresso Biscotti & Honey Vanilla Latté

To kick off my senior project, I'm cooking for the culture that inspires my family cooking the most: Italy.

Italian cuisine is characterized by its simplicity, valuing the quality of the ingredients over elaborate preparation. In the summer, my mom and I would always go to an Italian grocer called Joe Leone's in New Jersey. We would sample everything and go home with bags of cheese, wine, chocolate, vegetables and various meats. The one food that I loved to sample the most were the sweets, including biscotti. Combined with my favorite drink and a key Italian ingredient, coffee, biscotti is an amazing breakfast option! Though it may not be the healthiest, it's a great morning pick me up, especially since this recipe stuffs it with extra espresso powder and chocolate colored espresso beans.

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for shaping the dough)

1 tbs baking power

1 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

10 tbs (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter (melted and cooled)

3 large eggs

2 tbs instant espresso powder (I used instant coffee powder)

1 tbs coffee liqueur (like Kahlúa) or pure coffee extract (I used rum)

1 tbs pure vanilla extract

1 cup chopped chocolate-covered espresso beans (mine were small, so I didn't chop them)

1 large egg white

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F and place oven rack in the center position. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-size bowl.

3. Whisk together sugar, butter (melted and cooled - melt in the microwave in 10 second increments, taking out and stirring when possible. Stop when it is mostly melted, then stir until it is all melted and creamy), eggs, espresso powder, liqueur and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Add the flour mixture (all at once) and stir with a rubber spatula until the dough is well combined (it will get tough to mix toward the end, but make sure it's well combined). Stir in the espresso beans.

4. Generously flour a work surface (I used a large cutting board) and your hands. Divide the dough in half and shape each piece into a 2 1/2 by 15 inch rectangular log about 1 1/2 inches thick. Place the logs on the prepared pan, spacing them evenly apart.

5. Beat the egg white in a small bowl until frothy. Brush the logs gently with the egg white. Bake them until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

6. Remove the pan from the oven, but leave the oven on. Let the logs cool completely on the pan.

7. Transfer the cooled logs to a cutting board. Use a serrated knife to slice them, on a slight diagonal, into roughly 1/2 inch thick biscotti. Lay the biscotti cut side down on the sheet pan, still lined with the parchment. (I needed a separate pan for each cut up log at this point, whereas I put both both logs on one pan the first time).

8. Bake the biscotti again for 10 minutes. Take out and carefully flip over, then bake for another 10 minutes. The biscotti should be golden brown on both sides.

9. Let the biscotti cool completely on the pan. The biscotti will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.

10. Prepare a cup of coffee the way you usually take it, but instead of sugar put in a small spoonful each of pure vanilla extract and honey. Dip the biscotti in your coffee and enjoy!