Biscotti in Italy is a generic name referring to any type of biscuit/cookie. But in Australia (and North America), it refers to a dry, crisp, "twice-baked" biscuit/cookie which is very good for dunking into coffee, hot chocolate etc.
Often when we go to a cafe, a slice or two of biscotti is served with our cup of coffee and I feel like they're only like teasers. I love munching on Biscotti and so I make them at home myself. This is one of the recipes I love. Very more-ish as they are not too sweet and the nuts are simply delicious and nutritious. Happy munching and crunching!
Here's the recipe:
3 egg whites
1/3 cup (75g) of caster sugar
3/4 cup (110g) plain flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
3/4 cup (120g) blanched almonds, toasted
(1) Preheat oven to moderate (180C).
(2) Lightly grease 8cmx26cm bar cake pan; cover base and sides with baking paper.
(3) Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form; gradually add sugar, beating until sugar is dissolved between additions.
(4) Fold in combined sifted flour and cocoa powder, then almonds; spread mixture into prepared pan.
(5) Bake in moderate oven about 25 minutes or until loaf is browned lightly. Cool in pan for 2 hours.
(6) Preheat oven to slow(130C)
(7) Using a serrated or electric knife, cut loaf into 1cm slices. Place slices in a single layer on ungreased oven trays.
(8) Bake in slow oven about 15-20 minutes or until crisp and dry, cool on wire racks.
I was trying to time it just right so that the majority of the rose bushes would flower when my rosy friend and her husband visit us here in early March. So I did the pruning and deadheading two to three weeks ago estimating by the time they arrive two weeks from now, it should be the right time for their beautiful blooms en masse.
However, that was theoretically speaking and one can only plan so much, but one can never control what the weather would do. The last two weeks were so perfect, maximum temperatures in the twenties, so much so that it fooled me into thinking it was going to continue like that and everything was going like clockwork. But alas, come this week, everything has changed. It's been scorching hot and I'm frantically trying to ward off the heat from my roses by giving them extra water. It seems to do the trick, even though a very time consuming task. With the extra heat and water, the roses speed right up with their flowering so much more, and you can imagine me trying to tell them to slow down. Many of them look like they'll just go ahead and burst into flowers the next few days, while some already have. That goes to show how little power I have over these roses and there's only so much I can do to control their cycles. Sigh! 
