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Super easy biscotti are great for dunking

• Scott Daniels: We Ate Well and Cheaply
• October 9, 2020
• 1049

This is going the long way ‘round the barn to get to a cookie, but bear with me.

I like to scan the backgrounds in movie and television scenes, watching for something unusual, out of place or familiar. Sometimes, you can spot a face among the crowd of extras who later became a major celebrity — or maybe the bicycle you had as a kid or some clothes you recognize from your own closet. Of course, if I’m doing this, it’s usually because the story has lost me.

It’s also fun to see if you can locate copies of interesting objects from movie sets. Years ago I hunted until I found a copy of “Duke’s Celebrated Criminal Cases of America” because it sat on the bedside table in Sam Spade’s apartment in “The Maltese Falcon.” Sometimes, I worry about my younger self.

One hunt that has come up empty for years is the search for the late´ cups seen at the coffee shop in most episodes of the popular sitcom, “Frasier.” They’re squat, little cups with saucers that have the name of the cafe´, Cafe´Nervosa, on the side. They’re all over the place in so many scenes; you’d think someone would have thought to do a marketing tie-in and sell copies. But let me assure you that has never happened. Occasionally, set-used cups come up for auction, but that hasn’t happened for ages. I want one of those stupid cups.

The search did lead me to something interesting, though. I found a series tie-in book, “Cafe´Nervosa, A Connoisseur’s Cookbook.” And you know what? On the cover are Frasier and Niles Crane sipping coffee from those stupid cups.

The book apparently has some popularity out of print because it took some time to get my hands on a copy for under $75. The original list price was only $14.95, so that’s a little bit silly for a small-format 100-page book. I finally spotted one for less than $20 and grabbed it up.

Inside are the kinds of recipes you’d expect, for scones, fancy breads and cakes, and several versions of something I hadn’t thought about making in years: biscotti.

Biscotti are super easy to make, delicious and just right for dunking in your late´. I used to make them quite often, but the habit just slipped away from me somehow. The one I started out with from the book is a simple cappuccino biscotti, flavored with instant coffee. The next time I make them, I’ll dip one end in melted white chocolate.

CAPPUCCINO BISCOTTI

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 teaspoons instant coffee granules

3 teaspoons hot water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs, lightly beaten plus

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325 F.

In a medium-size bowl, stir the coffee granules into the hot water and add the vanilla, then the eggs. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients and mix well. Add the coffee mixture and mix well, until a dough forms. You may have to add a little water to bring everything together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a moment, then form the dough into a log about 16 inches long. Place the log on a parchment paper covered baking sheet and flatten it until it’s about 1 inch thick.

Bake at 325 F for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. Slice the log into diagonal slices about 1/2-inch thick. You should have about 30. Place the slices cut side down on the baking sheet and bake a further 10 minutes at 325 F. Cool on a wire rack. They will firm up as they cool.