Chocolate Hazelnut Espresso Biscotti with Chocolate Espresso Sorbet
Book Description
There ought to be a law against cookies as sinfully delicious as the ones Marcel Desaulniers presents in his Death by Chocolate Cookies. Chocolate Peanut Butter Love Bars, Chocolate Pecan Tart Cookies, White Chocolate Peppermint Patties, Chocolate Mango Ambush--the names alone are life-threatening, while the full-page color photographs are almost guaranteed to send serious chocoholics into cardiac arrest.
The menage a trois of hazelnuts, chocolate, and espresso in the biscotti is both intriguing and titillating. Add sorbet and you have arranged a veritable orgy of textures and tastes for your mouth.
You can save yourself some time by finding hazelnuts that are already skinned. You'll still need to toast them--for 15 to 16 minutes in a 325-degree-Fahrenheit oven--to enhance the flavor and texture.
The biscotti will remain crispy and delicious for several days kept uncovered at room temperature. Extend their life for up to 2 to 3 weeks by storing them at room temperature in a tightly sealed plastic container.
Makes: 4 dozen 4 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch biscotti and 2 quarts sorbet
EQUIPMENT
Cook's knife, cutting board, measuring cups, measuring spoons, coffee grinder, 4-quart bowl, 3-quart saucepan, whisk, instant-read test thermometer, ice-cream freezer, 2-quart plastic container with lid, 4 baking sheets (1 with sides), 2 large 100% cotton towels, sifter, wax paper, double boiler, rubber spatula, 2 1-quart bowls, table-model electric mixer with paddle, parchment paper, pastry brush, serrated knife, plastic cookie storage container with lid, ice-cream scoop
CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO SORBET
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups brewed espresso
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT ESPRESSO BISCOTTI BATTER
2 cups whole hazelnuts
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 pound unsalted butter, cut into 1-ounce pieces
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur
1 large egg white
2 tablespoons finely ground espresso beans
PREPARE THE CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO SORBET
Place 4 ounces semisweet chocolate and the unsweetened chocolate in a 4-quart bowl. Set aside until needed.
Heat the water, 2 cups of sugar, and the brewed espresso in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil. Remove the boiling liquid from the heat, and immediately pour 1 cup over the chopped chocolate. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
Whisk the chocolate mixture vigorously until perfectly smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the remaining hot liquid and whisk to incorporate. Cool in an ice-water bath, stirring constantly, to a temperature of 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit, about 12 minutes (the constant stirring helps reduce the temperature more quickly, and also creates utterly smooth sorbet). When cold, add the vanilla extract and stir to incorporate.
Freeze in an ice-cream freezer following the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer the semi-frozen sorbet to a plastic container, securely cover, and place in the freezer for several hours before serving (the sorbet is delicious semi-frozen, so don't be bashful about trying some at this point). Serve within 2 days.
MAKE THE CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT ESPRESSO BISCOTTI
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Toast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet with sides in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove them from the oven and immediately cover with a damp towel. Invert another baking sheet over the first one to hold in the steam (this makes the nuts easier to skin). After 5 minutes, remove the skins from the nuts by placing the nuts, a few at a time, inside a folded dry towel and rubbing vigorously between the hands. Allow the nuts to cool thoroughly before chopping. Transfer the nuts to a cutting board and chop coarsely with a cook's knife. Set aside until needed.
In a sifter combine 4 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Sift onto a large piece of wax paper and set aside until needed.
Heat 1 inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. With the heat on, place 4 ounces semisweet chocolate in the top half of the double boiler. Use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate until completely melted and smooth, about l to 2 minutes. Transfer the melted chocolate to a 1-quart bowl and set aside until needed.
Place 1 1/2 cups sugar and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on medium for 2 minutes until soft. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on high for 4 minutes until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, while beating on medium for 1 minute and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the hazelnut liqueur and beat on high for 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and add the melted chocolate and beat on medium for 30 seconds. Operate the mixer on low while gradually adding the sifted dry ingredients. Once all the dry ingredients have been incorporated, about 30 seconds, turn off the mixer and add the chopped hazelnuts and mix on low for another 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the batter until thoroughly combined.
Transfer the biscotti dough to a clean, dry, lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, and shape each into a log approximately 8 inches long, 2 1/2 inches wide, and 1 1/4 inches high (using the remaining flour as necessary to prevent sticking). Carefully place 2 logs, about 2 inches apart, onto each of 2 baking sheets that have been lined with parchment paper. Whisk the egg white in a 1-quart bowl until foamy. Generously brush the top of each log with the foamy egg white. Lightly and evenly sprinkle the top of each log with 1/2 tablespoon of ground espresso beans.
Bake the biscotti logs on the top and center racks of the preheated oven
for 35 minutes until lightly browned and firm to the touch, rotating the sheets from top to center halfway through the baking time (at that time also turn each sheet 180 degrees). Remove the logs from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the logs to cool for about 15 minutes at room temperature before handling. Place the biscotti logs onto a cutting board. Using a very sharp serrated knife, trim the rounded ends from each log. Cut each biscotti log into 1/2-inch diagonal slices (12 slices per log). Divide the slices onto 4 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake the biscotti slices on the top and center racks of the preheated oven
for 30 minutes until crisp and evenly browned, rotating the sheets from top to center and turning each sheet 180 degrees halfway through the baking time (at that time also turn each sheet 180 degrees). Remove the biscotti from the oven and cool thoroughly before storing in a sealed plastic container.
To Serve
For each person, serve 2 to 3 scoops of sorbet with at least a couple of biscotti, presented in your favorite bowls
