When I set out to make this biscotti, my intentions were very clear.  The morning was dreary and cold, the outlook for the afternoon even drearier and colder.  In the interest of providing myself with something to cut through the depressing gray day ahead of me,  I was aiming to whip up bit of a treat that I could enjoy with a soothing cup of afternoon coffee.

It seemed like such an innocent endeavor, and it was, really, until I opened up a cupboard to rifle around for a bit of inspiration concerning what I could fold into the biscotti dough and, oh, hello, dried Montmorency cherries.  And who is that sitting right next to you?  A bottle of Kentucky bourbon, I see.  We may be onto something here.  A bit more shuffling of things in said cupboard also unearthed the last bits of a bar of bittersweet chocolate, a natural pairing, I thought, for the tartness of the cherries.  A bit of chopping, and we’re almost there.

And where was there?  Well, surprisingly, it ended up being a place where crisp, satisfying biscotti, ripe with bourbon-plumped cherries and streaks of dark chocolate, tastes a lot like the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever eaten.  While still firmly planted in the crunchy family of biscotti, this little number has the brown sugar notes of a cookie, but with a hint more sophistication on account of the chunky pecans and varying hits of tartness, sweetness, and, of course, smooth bourbon.  It may not have been the exact treat I thought I’d end up making, but it served its purpose more than sufficiently.  Dipped into a cup of hot black coffee, it was a warm and cozy highlight to what can only be called a cold and punishing day (ah, springtime in Portland).

Pecan and Chocolate Biscotti with Bourbon-Soaked Cherries

3 tablespoons bourbon
½ cup dried sour cherries (you may have to hunt around to find dried sour cherries instead of dried regular cherries, but the difference between the two is so totally worth the hunt)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (½ a stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup coarsely chopped, lightly toasted pecans
½ cup coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate

In a small bowl, combine the bourbon and the dried sour cherries.  Allow to soak at room temperature for at least 1 hour (if you have the inclination, soaking them overnight would provide the most forward bourbon flavor), tossing occasionally to keep all the cherries in touch with the bourbon.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until they are light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla.  Beat the sifted dry ingredients into the butter mixture until everything is just combined.  Stir in the pecans, chocolate, and dried cherries, along with any bourbon leftover in the bowl.  Stir until everything is incorporated.

Directly on the prepared baking sheet, divide the dough into 2 logs roughly 3 ½ inches wide and 8 inches long.  Pat the logs into a uniform thickness of about ¾ inch.  The dough will be sticky, so lightly greasing or flouring your hands might help your shaping endeavors.

Bake the logs in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, until the centers are firm and the tops are golden brown.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and remove the logs to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.  Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  With a serrated knife, slice the slightly-cooled logs on the diagonal into ½-inch thick slices.  Return the slices, cut side down, to the baking sheet, then bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until the slices are extremely crisp and nicely browned.

Remove biscotti slices to a wire rack to cool completely.  Biscotti can be kept in an airtight container for several days.

About the contributor:
	Elizabeth Miller is a freelance writer who runs Savory Salty Sweet, a food and kitchen appreciation website. She also writes the Melting Pot column here on Indie Fixx, which appears bimonthly on Fridays. Read more about her on the contributors’ page.

A quick perusal through what I’ve been cooking these past few months leads me to believe that I have inadvertently turned winter and spring into the Seasons of Streusel.  I’ve been capping pie with a crisp streusel lid, making breads with buttery streusel toppings, and now we have this little streusel and almond-studded beauty.

“Kuchen” means “cake” in German, but I would argue that this treat is so much more than a simple cake.  With a yeasted base, a fresh fruit middle, and a crisp, lightly sweetened top layer, the sum of this kuchen’s parts is elevated past that of what one would consider a cake.  Somehow, the elements come together—crunchy and soft, sweet, yet not overly so—to create a cake that is complex without being complicated, indulgent without being grief-inducing.  You can eat it as a dessert, or as a special breakfast treat, and it magically manages to exist as both without ever leaving you feeling as though you just did something slightly wrong.

Of all the things I am loving about this cake, my favorite attribute just might lie in its ability to adapt to the seasons.  The mellow flavor of the cake base, combined with the cinnamon in the streusel, just begs to be paired with a variety of fruits.  Though this version uses apples and pears, the original recipe called for apples and blackberries (a combination that sounds absolutely fantastic).  When summers rolls around, you better believe I will be giving that version a whirl, along with an iteration that includes blueberries or raspberries, and maybe even cherries.  This is an awfully friendly cake, so I can’t imagine it not playing well with just about any fruit you try out.  As you might imagine, I can’t wait to start testing out my theory.

Pear and Apple Kuchen
Adapted from Nigella Bites, by Nigella Lawson

Cake Base
2 ¼ cups bread flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon rapid-rise yeast
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
grated zest of ½ a lemon
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup lukewarm milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

Topping
1 egg beaten with a splash of cream or milk and a pinch of cinnamon
1 small tart apple
1 medium to large pear
zest of ½ a lemon
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
heaping ¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground almonds
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and diced into chunks
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons sliced almonds

To make the cake base, put the bread flour in a large bowl with the salt, sugar, and yeast.  In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs, then add to them the vanilla extract, lemon zest, cinnamon, and lukewarm milk.  Stir to combine.  Add the egg mixture to the bread flour mixture, and stir to make a medium-soft dough.  Work in the soft butter, then knead for 10 minutes by hand, or 5 minutes if using a stand mixture.  If the dough is having trouble reaching a stage of being smooth and spring, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, as you knead.  The dough will be thoroughly kneaded when it is glossy and plump.

Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and allow it to double in size (this should take anywhere from 1 hour to an hour and a half, though you could also leave the dough in the refrigerator to rise overnight).  Punch down the dough and place it in a 9” x 13” jellyroll or baking pan.  Press the dough into the pan to cover the bottom.  The dough may take a bit of coaxing to stretch the entire way (especially if the dough is cold), but allowing it to rest for a few minutes while you are stretching it will help your efforts immensely.  When the bottom of the pan is covered with the dough, brush it with the egg and cream mixture and allow it to rest for 15 to 20 minutes while you preheat the oven and make the topping.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and chop both the apple and the pear into ¼-inch chunks.  Toss the apple and pear in a small bowl with the lemon zest.

In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, ground almonds, and cinnamon.  Stir to combine, then add the cold butter.  Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture appears clumpy.  Fork in the sugars and the sliced almonds.

Spread the fruit over the rested dough, then sprinkle the streusel topping on top of the fruit.  Bake the kuchen for 15 minutes in the center of the oven, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for an additional 20 minutes, until the dough is puffed up and golden at the edges.  The crumble should settle, but still remain somewhat soft.

Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.  Serves 8 to 10.

About the contributor:
	Elizabeth Miller is a freelance writer who runs Savory Salty Sweet, a food and kitchen appreciation website. She also writes the Melting Pot column here on Indie Fixx, which appears bimonthly on Fridays. Read more about her on the contributors’ page.