2 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 finely grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup chopped almonds
2 tsp baking powder
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour cookie sheet. In a large
bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in
the center of the mixture; add the remaining ingredients and mix
well. Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into flat-bottomed
cylinders (1-inch high x 2 1/2-inches wide x 8-inches long). Bake
30-35 minutes or until brown on top. Remove from oven and cool
slightly. Cut into 3/4-inch slices. Return to oven with cut side down
for 15 minutes or until slices are brown. Remove from oven and cool
on racks.
Servings: 6 servings
Almond-Orange Biscotti Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Biscotti; Cookie; Fruit; Italian; Nut
The History of Recipes
We are able to read the history of written recipes way back into history, in fact as far back as early Egypt, and maybe further still. Interesting though that is, these, early recipes were just basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for food preparation.
The truth of the matter is, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to historians is a collection of ancient tablets in Sumerian describing the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who drank it feel `blissful`. As we move into The time of the romans around 25BC a roman called Apicius compiled a few documents showing how to cook the recipes cooked by his fellow Romans. In his scrolls, he recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were divided into hors d`oeuvres, main course and desserts, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. Additionally, he recounts how the cooks of Roman times made use of a wide range of herbs and spices, including a few that are still present in modern kitchens for example thyme, mint and parsley. As we move on, there were some interesting books which appeared in the 14th Century : one book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary titled `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are somewhat misleading tho`, these books are not about the indian curry that is served today, but rather descriptions of the types of meals eaten by the nobility of those days. Later, in the fifteenth century, knights returning from the crusades brought back a variety of foods and herbs from the holy land, including parsley, basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new culinary ideas caused an increase in books on cookery, the majority of which are now in academic collections. During the next few centuries, the rich and powerful families of Europe strove to offer the most extravagent meals, and consequentially the best cooks and their collection of recipes were greatly in demand. However, it wasn`t until the nineteenth century that cookery and cookery books became really popular. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Farmer in the US, dedicated years of their lives to assembling, verifying, and recording the recipes of their peers. By the advent of the 20th century, cookery publications are greatly in demand mostly as a result of better eduction, people having more spare time and having more money. The revolution that is television brings us TV chefs and the demand for the accompanying recipe books. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the invention of the internet, allowing everybody to search through thousands of recipes just like those on our web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Almond Orange Biscotti recipe.
