Feature Fri Nov 20 2009

Thanksgiving Breakfast

By Shanna Quinn

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I'm sure you're making a list and checking the refrigerator twice before heading out to the grocery store in preparation for your turkey dinner. But before you run out the door, check and make sure you have the ingredients to this power breakfast treat: Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti along side a cup of Earl Grey tea.

Trust me, I get it -- you know you'll be in the kitchen all day, starving, trying to get the potatoes whipped, the gravy unlumped, and the biscuits fluffy and the last thing you want to think about is what to eat come turkey-day morning. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this easy biscotti and tea combo will leave you satisfied, energized and with enough room leftover to tackle the all the fixings.

CRANBERRY PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

3 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. granulated sugar
½ c. light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 c. shelled unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped
1 c. dried, sweetened cranberries, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until creamy. Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat until fully blended. Beat in the eggs, then the vanilla and the lemon zest. With the beater on low speed, mix in the flour mixture just until the dough starts to clump together. Mix in the pistachios and cranberries. Gather the dough into a ball, and then divide it in half.

With lightly floured hands, place each half of the dough lengthwise on one side of the parchment sheet. Shape the dough into rectangular loaves about 12 inches long and 2 ½ inches wide. Make sure the loaves are at least 3 inches apart on the sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the sheet from front to back about halfway through baking, or until the loaves are nicely golden and the tops feel mostly firm when gently pressed. Transfer the sheet to a rack to cool for 30 minutes.

Remove the loaves from the parchment paper and transfer them, one at a time, to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife in a gentle sawing motion, cut the loaves on a slight diagonal into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Discard the parchment and place the biscotti, cut side down, on the sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the biscotti over to the other side and bake for about 10 minutes longer or until lightly toasted. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.

Store cooled biscotti in tupperware until ready to serve.

A steamy cup of Earl Grey tea compliments these sassy biscotti perfectly. Earl Grey tea is a ceylon tea seasoned with bergamot rind. Bergamots are a small, yellow-green, 'lime-y' fruit grown in Italy, South of France, and other areas around the Mediterranean, though they originated in Southern Asia. The bergamot is known for having calming properties and is used in homeopathic remedies for anxiety and depression -- um, could there be any better way to start of a hectic day? With a nice dose of caffeine to boot, this power-house tea will compliment the tarty sweetness of the biscotti leaving you satiated and ready to go. To brew the perfect cup of tea, be sure to seep the tea bag (or loose tea) for 3-5 minutes. Add milk and sugar to taste. Kick back, relax, eat your biscotti and sip your tea...and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Recipe compliments of Janet Cummins. Janet is the owner of Delish, which offers personal chef services, cooking classes, and catering. You can also find Janet cooking up delish dishes at World Kitchen at Gallery 37 Center for the Arts. You may contact Janet at janet@delishchef.com