Lightly beat the remaining egg white; brush it on the tops of the logs, then sprinkle them evenly with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until the logs are lightly browned and just set; there will be cracks on the surface. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire cooling rack; let the logs rest for 5 minutes, then carefully peel them off the parchment—they will be hot—and place them directly on the rack to cool for 10 minutes. Discard the parchment.
Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Use a chef’s knife to trim the end of each log. Then cut each log on the diagonal into 10 equal slices. (Press down into the log, rather than sawing, to prevent breaking.) Place the slices on the baking sheet, with a cut side facing up. Bake 10 minutes, then turn each slice over. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until the slices are lightly golden. Cool on a rack before dipping in chocolate, if you’d like.
Makes about 40 cookies. The biscotti will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Spice Up Your Life with Pepper and the Flick Chicks
CARROT SOUP WITH TOASTED SPICES AND PECANS
Who doesn’t love soup? The ultimate comfort food on a chill, dreary day, soup appears in almost every culture and cuisine. To host a soup exchange, keep the numbers small. Each guest brings enough soup for the others to enjoy a cup and take home a few servings. Guests bring their own to-go containers. The hostess provides salad, bread, and a light dessert.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ medium onion
2 cloves garlic
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound carrots
½ cup canned coconut milk
3 cups water
½ cup pecan halves
1 teaspoon ground cumin or coriander
1 teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns or coarsely ground black pepper
Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, for serving
Chop the onion and mince the garlic.
Melt the butter in a stockpot over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt; cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onion has softened, stirring occasionally.
While the onion mixture sautées, scrub and trim the carrots, then slice into thin rounds.
Increase the heat to medium; stir in the carrots, coconut milk, and water. When the mixture begins to bubble at the edges, cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes, until the carrots become tender.
Meanwhile, toast the pecans in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned; remember that nuts will continue to brown and crisp as they cool. Transfer to a cutting board to cool; coarsely chop. Add the cumin, celery seed, red pepper flakes, and black peppercorns to the skillet; toast 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant, then crush and blend in a spice grinder or with mortar and pestle. Don’t skip this step, as crushing the spices together helps to blend the flavors.
Test the carrots for doneness; when soft, remove from heat and allow to cool about 5 minutes. Add all but a pinch of the toasted, crushed spices and stir well. Then use your immersion blender or regular blender to puree; leave some chunks, if you prefer. Stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon salt.
Divide among individual bowls. Garnish with the remaining toasted spices, a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, and the toasted pecans.
Serves 4.
A favorite at Ripe, easy to recreate at home.
LAUREL’S TOMATO-BASIL SOUP
4 large tomatoes, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
4 cups tomato juice
12–14 small to medium basil leaves
½ cup heavy cream
⅓ cup butter
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Basil leaves or edible flowers for garnish
Place chopped tomatoes and juice in a stockpot, on medium heat. Simmer about 30 minutes.
Add the basil leaves. Remove from heat and use a blender or immersion blender to puree, leaving some chunks.
Return puree to stockpot. Add cream and butter; stir well. Season to taste. Reheat, but don’t boil, stirring until the butter is melted.
Serve and garnish.
Serves 4.
BLACK BEAN CHILI
Although this version is vegetarian, you can easily add ground beef, browned separately or with the onions. The spicing is flavorful, but not hot.
1 pound dried black beans
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1½ teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Monterey Jack cheese, grated, for topping (optional)
Soak beans overnight in enough water to keep them covered as they expand; drain and place in large stockpot with 4 cups water and bay leaf. Simmer 25 to 30 minutes, until tender but still slightly chewy.
While the beans are cooking, add the olive oil to a large sauté pan. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell pepper until soft, 12 to 15 minutes. When the beans are cooked, add the onion mixture to the pot and stir well. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs and spices, and brown sugar. Simmer, covered, about 1 hour. Serve sprinkled with cheese, if you’d like.
Serves 6 to 8.
MISTY’S ROSEMARY FOCACCIA
With so much great bread available in the Market, Pepper rarely bakes bread, but Misty generously shared her recipe. This version is topped with rosemary and coarse salt, a classic combo.
Don’t be intimidated by bread baking! It seems mysterious, but is really quite easy. This recipe makes one 8 to 9-inch-round loaf, plus dough for a second loaf. Use instant yeast rather than active. Pepper mixes the dough
