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.
35 responses to “MARTHA’S BISCOTTI – go ahead and make it. You know your sick of that resolution already!”
Wow! What a determination! That’s wonderful! And a great example 😉 Delicious biscotti 😋
I never met Martha but I sure became a fan of hers. Thanks for stopping by Ribana.
HI Bernadette, what a lovely story. These biscotti sound very good.
I absolutely love the story, and I plan on celebrating Martha’s Biscotti Day frequently!
Ive been looking for a good biscotti recipe for some time. I’ll definitely given this one a try!
Thanks so much. If you make the biscotti, please let me know how they turned out. Enjoy!
I love home-baked biscotti and my husband loves them too. In my past life, I loved any magazine assignments that dealt with food and chocolates. One of my favorite interviews was with an Italian family who shared their treasured recipes , including their biscotti recipe with me. Martha’s Biscotti is quite different in the the first longer baking, then the refridgeratiing and slicing before the 2nd baking. I look forward to trying this unusual recipe. . . .And good for Martha, following her dream.
It sounds like you hav had a fascinating carreer. I think Martha’s biscotti recipe is very untraditional in its preparation but she did learn it at a French Culinary School. Thanks so much for stopping by. It is always good to correspond with you.
Thanks for sharing such an uplifting story!
The biscotti look so tasty. 🙂
You are very welcome Ronit and the biscotti and absolutely delicious.
Women never cease to amaze me! I love Martha’s story. My dad was a meat and potatoes man too but mom would sneak in some more “exotic” food once in awhile. As he got older he got more adventurous with his eating and she was delighted to try different things. I have never tried biscotti and I think I will start with this recipe! Thanks.
I know Darlene, I was just fascinated with Martha and her determination. Have a good weekend.
💜 It’s a little bit morbid EveryOne but the death of another is often an opportunity for ourselves; these look so tasty I nearly bit in to my smartphone EveryBody
…💛💚💙…
[…] MARTHA’S BISCOTTI – go ahead and make it. You know your sick of that resolution already! […]
Thanks so much for your continued support Yernasia.
What an amazing lady! And those biscotti look too good to miss in life. I am for sure to bake them SOON!
angiesrecipes
http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com
Martha definitely was a rock star and her biscotti and delicious. Have a great weekend Angie.
I love the story. It emphasizes that you’re never too ‘mature’ to have dreams. I am going to try this recipe when I get home. Thank you!
Judy, I was motivated by this story. I guess it proves the old adage “it’s never too late…”
I love Biscotti with coffee, but I don’t know if I have the patience to try. Martha was so much more patient than I could ever be. But then, us women are naturally patient, or we would never become wives. LOL
Very true words, Brenda.
What a great story! And what a brave woman! I couldn’t do it at 65! Biscotti are so good, but so addicting!!!
She was a rock star! I wish I had been able to meet her. Enjoy your weekend Mimi.
A lovely story. It just goes to show that you are never too old to learn something new.
I have a very small book that belonged to my grandmother. It has some of her spending in the back, dated 1909, but at the front are some recipes. They are most interesting from a historical point of view, with much suet and long cooking for some.
I keep meaning to try some of the less fatty ones sometime, but I think Martha’s biscotti will come first. I’ve never has biscotti, so it will be interesting to try.
They are a light, delicious treat. And, if you can get your hands on some Vin Santo dessert wine, the combination is fabulous. It would be fun to publish some of your grandmother’s recipes. Let me know if you are interested.
I have published them, along with other, more sensible ( to our modern tastes) in a book called Viv’s Family Recipes, but if you wish, I can send you some for you to post here. You can email me at vivienne.sang@gmail.com.
Ohhh, homemade biscotti, I know they are wonderful! Inspiring story, thanks Bernadette~
Jenna
Martha is my kinda gal! What an inspiration, and proof that it’s never too late to follow a dream. 🙂
Biscotti is one of my favorite treats, and her recipe sounds easy enough for a novice like me to try!
Wow! Delicious recipe! Thanks for sharing ☺💕
I LOVE biscotti. Thank you for the recipe share!
You are so welcome. I wish I could have you and your sister over for a dish of biscotti and some vin santo.
Che bontà!! Hi Bernadette!! How are you ?
Sono buono. Quest’anno visitiamo l’Italia. Cercando di imparare l’italiano.❤️
Thank you for sharing Martha’s recipe, it looks delicious!
Thanks, Diane. I just loved this lady’s story and the cookies are absolutely delicious.