Although a chocolate or white chocolate coating is unnecessary, it adds a festive touch: white chocolate pairs especially well with the cranberry and pistachio variety. Chocolate is nice with almond or walnut and coconut. I like using the large white and dark chocolate disks from Nuts to You for the glazes. Regular chips probably work fine, but the Nuts to You chips harden relatively quickly, making the finished biscotti easy to store. Fante’s sells a similar brand as well.
Homemade Chai
To really spoil a mother this Sunday, make her a fresh batch of chai tea. Chill the tea in an old fashioned milk carafe, and adorn it with a festive bow. This recipe yields 8 cups, equal to about 16 servings, enabling the recipient to enjoy chai tea for weeks after Mother’s Day. The chai can be served hot, with steamed milk, or cold, over ice. A relatively new appliance, the Nespresso Aeroccino — my new favorite gadget — has enabled me to create tasty chai tea lattes at home. While this tool froths milk nicely, however, it is not critical — the chai, when warmed or chilled with equal parts milk, tastes equally satisfying. 5 from 1 review Optional add-ins: ¼ cup chopped pistachios¼ cup dried cranberries or cherries To coat in chocolate, melt either in a double boiler:
6-oz dark chocolate wafers 6-oz white chocolate wafers
… dip the cooled biscotti into the melted chocolate and set on a wire rack to harden. 5 from 1 review
