{"id":425,"date":"2007-11-26T07:50:47","date_gmt":"2007-11-26T07:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2007\/11\/26\/dolce-italiano-mosaic-biscotti\/"},"modified":"2008-12-23T07:24:09","modified_gmt":"2008-12-23T07:24:09","slug":"dolce-italiano-mosaic-biscotti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2007\/11\/26\/dolce-italiano-mosaic-biscotti\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolce Italiano: Mosaic Biscotti"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clarification: <\/strong> Comments will be accepted as contest entries on any\/all 10 Dolce Italiano posts through Friday, December 7th (11:59p.m. Pacific Standard Time)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Dolce<\/a> I’m joining fellow bloggers and Italy lovers Ilva from Lucullian Delights<\/a>, Michelle from Bleeding Espresso<\/a>, Shelley from At Home in Rome<\/a> and Jenn from the Leftover Queen<\/a> to highlight recipes from Gina DePalma’s cookbook Dolce Italiano<\/a><\/strong>. Read Shelley’s contest preview<\/a> for more information about the contest.<\/p>\n

Every weekday for two weeks, one of the five bloggers will be highlighting a recipe from the cookbook and we’ll be bringing you a great opportunity: win a personalized and signed copy of Gina’s book!<\/strong> All you need to do to be entered is comment on this post and other Dolce Italiano posts! You can comment on each post, giving you 10 chances to enter!<\/p>\n

As executive pastry chef at Mario Batali’s NYC restaurant Babbo<\/a><\/strong>, Gina hardly needs an introduction. But if you’d like more information about Gina DePalma, read parts 1<\/a>, 2<\/a>, and 3<\/a> of Shelley’s interview with Gina. It’s insightful!<\/p>\n

I have the extreme pleasure of showcasing the first recipe from Gina DePalma’s Dolce Italiano.<\/a><\/p>\n

Being so far from a bookstore stocked with English cookbooks, I really have to make a connection with an author or a cookbook\/recipe online to seek out the cookbook. Gina hooked me from the first paragraph of her introduction (all I can say is: lemon, but I’ll get to that later) and I felt not only a kinship with her as an Italian-American, but also with her desire to become an expat in Italy. Gina lets you into her pastry world, with a great introduction to the pastry kitchen’s equipment, and a wonderful focus on Italian and Italian ingredients which is really important for anyone who wants to cook with Italian ingredients in or out of Italy. Helpful hints and side stories are sprinkled throughout the cookbook, and I especially enjoyed the “Celebrations<\/em>” section where some of Italy’s traditional holiday desserts shine.<\/p>\n

Gina’s first lesson as a future expat was unfortunately a hard one. When we started organizing this, we had hoped to exclusively preview the cookbook online the week it was released. And we waited.<\/p>\n

And the release date passed. And still we waited for the books to arrive. And we could only shake our heads, shrug our shoulders and say, Le Poste Italiane<\/em>. Adjusting to the postal system in a new country is just one of the hurdles of living here. Gina, unfortunately, soon you’ll understand.<\/p>\n

I also think Mosaic Biscotti are a perfect recipe for adapting to a new country – they are delicious and leave room for a little imagination and creativity, and next time I’m considering putting in some dried cranberries I’ve been hoarding. I also found that they go really well with my homemade basil liquor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mosaic Biscotti<\/h3>\n

adapted from Gina DePalma’s Dolce Italiano. Below is the original recipe. Immediately following the ingredients, I included my notes on how I modified the recipe.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Mosaic<\/a><\/p>\n

3 1\/2c. unbleached all-purpose flour
\n1t. baking powder
\n1t. kosher salt
\n4 large eggs
\n2 large egg yolks, plus 1 egg white for the glaze
\n2c. granulated sugar, plus 1 1\/2T. for the glaze
\n2 t. pure vanilla extract
\n12oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
\n2c. skinned or unskinned hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
\n2c. whole, unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped<\/p>\n

Recipe notes:<\/strong>
\nI halved this recipe (1 3\/4c. flour, etc.) for practical reasons since in the cookbook she says to use two baking trays simultaneously and I don’t have two available. It worked perfectly! I also substituted almonds for the hazelnuts and used 75% extra dark chocolate. She also recommends using a serrated knife to cut them, but I used my supersharp Santoku knife so as not to saw and smear the chocolate on the slices. The following directions were for my half batch. If using the original recipe, you will divide the dough onto two baking sheets and bake simultaneously.<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Preheat the oven to 325F (160C) and grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together, set aside. In another bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together for about 2 minutes with an electric mixer.<\/li>\n
  2. Add the vanilla extract, continue beating and add in the dry ingredients and then the chocolate and nuts. At this point I mixed with a wooden spoon until all ingredients were thoroughly mixed.<\/li>\n
  3. Form two logs of dough on each baking sheet (note: if you are making the full recipe, Gina recommends making 5 logs on two different baking sheets and baking simultaneously – if you have halved the recipe, you’ll only need 1 sheet – 2 logs)<\/em>. Beat the remaining egg white(s) and brush on logs. In absence of a pastry brush, I found my hands to be a good substitute. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.<\/li>\n
  4. Bake until lightly golden brown and firm to the touch, about 20-25 minutes. Cool the logs on the baking sheets (but remove or turn them on the parchment paper so all the moisture isn’t trapped underneath) for about 40 minutes.<\/li>\n
  5. Turn oven back to 200F (90C). With a very sharp knife (or serrated) slice the logs on a slight diagonal into 1\/4″ wide slices. Lay on the baking sheet in a single layer and cook for 20 minutes or more, until toasted and crisp. Cool completely before storing in airtight containers<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    So, comment away to be entered in the contest, and check Ilva from Lucullian Delights<\/a>‘s post tomorrow<\/strong> for another great recipe and another chance to win!<\/p>\n

    \"Pistacchi<\/a><\/p>\n

    Disclaimer: While I did receive a free copy of this cookbook, we bloggers were the ones who propositioned Gina for permission to get a sneak peek at the cookbook and organize the contest. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Clarification: Comments will be accepted as contest entries on any\/all 10 Dolce Italiano posts through Friday, December 7th (11:59p.m. Pacific Standard Time). I’m joining fellow bloggers and Italy lovers Ilva from Lucullian Delights, Michelle from Bleeding Espresso, Shelley from At Home in Rome and Jenn from the Leftover Queen to highlight recipes from Gina DePalma’s…<\/p>\n

    Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[105,106,3,2,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-blog-event","category-dessert","category-food","category-italy","category-recipe","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4uB1-6R","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":427,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2007\/11\/29\/poll-italian-goodies-for-the-menu-for-hope-basket\/","url_meta":{"origin":425,"position":0},"title":"Poll: Italian Goodies for the Menu for Hope Basket","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"November 29, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"I've talked a bit about the Menu for Hope - a big food-blogger-fueled fundraiser that I will be participating in again this year probably with a big basket of Italian goodies. And I'm getting ready to go shopping for the items!! But first, you only have until tomorrow evening to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Event"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Event","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/blog-event\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":428,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2007\/12\/03\/dolce-italiano-sicilian-pistachio-cookies\/","url_meta":{"origin":425,"position":1},"title":"Dolce Italiano: Sicilian Pistachio Cookies","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"December 3, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Important Note: I'm seeing some confusion in the comments section - You do not need pistachio paste to make this recipe - the original recipe (listed below) calls for whole pistachios. I used the paste because I had it on hand. So we're in week 2 of the Dolce Italiano\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Event"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Event","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/blog-event\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pure Bronte (Sicilian) Pistachios ready for my cookies","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2413\/2082620147_6ff1c7c65c.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":646,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2008\/09\/16\/o-foods-for-ovarian-cancer-awareness-month-contest\/","url_meta":{"origin":425,"position":2},"title":"O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Contest","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"September 16, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Many of you may remember a contest several of us Italy expats had last year to welcome a future expat and pastry chef for her stay in Italy: Gina DePalma. The Dolce Italiano cookbook contest was by far one of the most fun I've had doing a contest and I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Event"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Event","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/blog-event\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":440,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2007\/12\/19\/zucchini-olive-oil-cake-with-lemon-crunch-glaze\/","url_meta":{"origin":425,"position":3},"title":"Zucchini-Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Crunch Glaze","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"December 19, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"One last and final recipe from Gina DePalma's Dolce Italiano. When I posted the Sicilian Pistachio Cookies and the Mosaic Biscotti, I mentioned I had a third recipe already prepared in the wings when I received the pistachio paste. Zucchini-Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Crunch Glaze. If you're looking for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Event"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Event","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/blog-event\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/www.assoc-amazon.com\/e\/ir?t=msadvinita-20&l=ur2&o=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":420,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2007\/11\/28\/december-events-in-milan\/","url_meta":{"origin":425,"position":4},"title":"December Events in Milan","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"November 28, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Milan may not have the rolling green hills of Tuscany or the beaches in Puglia, but the first weeks of December in Milan are one of the most exciting times of the year. Everything is decorated, market stalls selling interesting gift ideas are everywhere, samples abound, and there are people\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Holiday"","block_context":{"text":"Holiday","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/italy\/holiday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Milan during the Holidays (2006)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2413\/2070985176_b666ff47d3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1873,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2009\/09\/13\/2nd-annual-o-foods-contest-for-ovarian-cancer-awareness-month\/","url_meta":{"origin":425,"position":5},"title":"2nd Annual O Foods Contest for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"September 13, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I'll get back to the prosciutto soon, but first... Last year Michelle from Bleeding Espresso and I joined with 50 other bloggers for the O Foods Contest to raise awareness about ovarian cancer, and this year we're so happy to have Gina De Palma back and helping us with this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Event"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Event","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/blog-event\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bleedingespresso.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/09\/ovarian_cancer_awareness175.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":908,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425\/revisions\/908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}