Spiced Orange, Pistachio & Cranberry Biscotti

I have to be honest. Being the Combi-Steam Queen has its pressures! The main one being that there is always a feeling of expectation from friends and family whenever an occasion that involves food and eating arrives. From Hot Cross Buns at Easter, to lamingtons and roast lamb on Australia Day, I'm always expected to deliver. (Don't tell them I love it….please!) And at Christmas it's no different. I never feel like I can just go to the shops and buy a box of chocolates or a lovely bottle of wine like a regular person. My royal status, and my constant praise singing of my Combi-Steam, means that I simply must bake my own Christmas treats for those around me.

So….here is my crowd pleasing biscotti recipe. It works perfectly in lovely little jars with a nice ribbon and a gift tag and it lasts for ages. I often hear from those I make it for, that they are dipping into their little jars, with their coffee long after New Years. Personally I'm not sure why it's taken that long but nevertheless….

Baking biscotti requires an oven setting that is going to help to remove the moisture to make them nice and crunchy. It is an Italian biscuit which is traditionally "dunked" in coffee (usually an espresso or "short black" as we might say). It actually translates in English to “twice cooked” which is exactly what it is - there are two parts to the finished product. We cook it once as a whole “log” and then again in the slices to get the crisp and crunchy finish.

As Combi-Steamers we are so lucky because our ovens give us so much control and flexibility when it comes to moisture. Using any of our fan forced or convection functions will always provide heat to brown and crisp. Something like biscotti is meant to have a dry and crisp finish which means that we don’t use our Steam for the cooking part.

It is, however with any baking, important to have ingredients at “room temperature” or slightly warm, especially if you store them in the fridge. In this recipe we use our Steam to help us achieve that with control. We warm our eggs gently, as well as the cranberries which will help with the softness and the flavour.

This is my Spiced Orange, Pistachio & Cranberry Biscotti. Give it a try. I'm sure you'll love it.

Makes around 60 pieces

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 ¼ cups (275g) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 ⅔ cup (250g) plain flour
½ cup (75g) self raising flour
½ cup cranberries (or substitute raisins, sultanas or chopped dates)
¼ cup pistachio kernels (roughly chopped)
2 tsp water

Method:

Select Steam on your Combi-Steam. Set the temperature to 30°C. Place the eggs (in their shells) into the Combi-Steam. Place the cranberries and orange zest into a small dish and add those to the Combi-Steam also. Allow to warm through for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Select Fan Forced/Convection (Hot Air) on your Combi-Steam. Set the temperature to 160°C. Line two oven trays with baking paper.
Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until well combined.
Sift the spice and flours over the top and then add the cranberries, pistachios and water. Mix to a sticky dough.
Lightly flour your bench and turn out the dough. Knead gently with lightly floured hands until smooth.
Shape the dough into a ball and cut into 2 equal pieces. Dust with a little extra flour and lightly flour your hands then roll each half into a log shape around 30cm long. Place carefully onto the trays.
Cook the whole logs for 25 minutes. Remove and set aside on a rack to cool for 10 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 130°C.
Carefully place one log onto a chopping board and use a serrated, or bread knife, to slice into 1cm thick slices. Lay the slices onto the lined tray. Repeat with the second log and second tray.
Place into the oven and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, working quickly, remove the trays one at a time, and turn the biscuits over. Return to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes or until dry and crisp.
Cool the biscuits completely on wire racks. Once cooled they can be stored in an airtight container for a long time (I don't think they will stay around for as long as they could last!) or popped into jars or tins and given as gifts.

Tip: add some dark choc chips to this recipe too if you like...around 2tbs.

I hope you enjoy this little gift recipe! If you are hosting Christmas it is also a gorgeous touch to pop a few pieces into little cellophane bags or wrap in baking paper, tie with a bow and add card and place on your table as a "thankyou" gift and place setting.

Of course if you have your own biscotti recipe you can make that….just remember to use your Convection or Hot Air function as it’s the perfect option for any “dry” baking like crunchy biscuits, meringues and of course shortbread.

For a little more CSQ help with your festive table, jump on and download my Festive Favourites Cheat sheet here. It will help you to adapt most of your favourite recipes for the big day.

Happy Combi-Steaming!

Yours in the kitchen,

The CSQ. x