Hi there,

Well, we are 26 days into the new year. Valentine’s Day is so far away and Lent feels like it is right around the corner. I suggest a break from all the fasting and make this delicious biscotti and enjoy it with a glass of vin santo. If anyone points out the lapse in the new diet, just tell them Bernadette said it is Martha’s Biscotti Day and everyone gets a pass on their resolution.

Seriously though, I am going to share this story about Martha, who at 72 went to Culinary School. Ever since Sharon told me about her Mom, I have wanted to share this story with you. So finally, here is Martha’s story told by her daughter, Sharon.

We grew up in a household with 7 kids and a very fussy eater for a Dad. Basically He wanted a piece of meat, a starch and a vegetable that came out of a can. His definiton of a “gourmet” meal was pizza. My poor Mom was never able to experiment in the kitchen.

When Dad passed, my Mom, at the age of 72, enrolled at the French Culinary School in New York City. For 6 months of Saturdays, she traveled to New York City to attend class. She was so determined to not miss a class, that she hired a driver to take her to New York every Saturday. She absolutely loved the experience and never missed an opportunity to have dinner at the school where new students were cooking.

So here is Martha’s Biscotti recipe and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed sharing my remarkable Mom’s story.

Ingredients

1 and 3/4 cups of sifted flour

1/2 sp salt

1/2sp baking powder

4 oz unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

and 1/2 cups of sugar

4 large eggs

10z. pecan halves

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350. Butter 2 loaf pans and dust with fine bread crumbs.

Sift flour, salt and baking powder together and set aside.

Beat room temperature butter until soft. Beat in vanilla, sugar and then eggs, one at a time. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just mixed. Then stir in the pecans by hand. Place 1/2 the mixture in each loaf pan. Smoothe top and make a trench in the center of each pan of batter. Bake about 55 minutes. Cool in the pans. When thorougly cooled, remove and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate fo several hours. Then slice very thin with a serrated knife. Place the slices on a cookie sheet and bake carefully at 350 degrees for about 7 to 8 minutes on each side. The cookies should be light brown. Let the cookies cool and serve and maybe think of Martha fulfilling her long desired wish.