By The market continues its steady climb. I had 6 showings this week and 1 offers. My reputation precedes me now — the Greek agent who tells the truth about roofs and brings food to open houses. Worse reputations exist.
Sophia came home with top marks in chemistry and announced it with the casual confidence of a girl who expects excellence from herself and receives it. She has Nikos's pride — the kind that pretends not to care while caring so fiercely it has its own gravitational field.
Mama is 84 and still at the bakery at 4 AM. I do not know how much longer she will do this. I do not ask. You do not ask Voula Papadopoulos about endings. You stand next to her and roll phyllo and trust that the beginning continues as long as the hands are moving.
I made pastitsio because January needed warmth and cinnamon and a bechamel that took forty-five minutes and three seconds to eat. I ate it on the back porch while the sun set and the air smelled like lemon and charcoal. A quiet evening. The food was good. Good is enough. Good is everything.
I visited the bakery this weekend. Mama was behind the counter, flour on her apron, her face set in the concentration of a woman who takes baking as seriously as other people take surgery. I stood next to her and rolled dough and said nothing because the silence between us is not empty — it is full of every recipe she taught me and every critique she gave me and every morning she woke at 4 AM to make phyllo that nobody else can make.
When I left Mama at the bakery that Saturday — flour still on my sleeve, the smell of butter and lemon in my hair — I wanted to bring something of that feeling home with me, something I could bake slowly and taste in small pieces the way you take in a good morning. Biscotti is twice-baked, which has always felt honest to me: you commit, you wait, and then you commit again. Lemon because the air smelled like it when I sat on the back porch, and because bright things deserve to be in January too.
Lemon Biscotti
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 50 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes | Servings: 24 biscotti
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 1 cup whole almonds, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
- Combine wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, almond extract (if using), and melted butter until smooth.
- Form the dough. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until a stiff dough forms. Fold in the chopped almonds. The dough will be sticky — this is correct.
- Shape the logs. Turn the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet. With lightly floured hands, shape it into two logs approximately 12 inches long and 2 inches wide, spaced a few inches apart.
- First bake. Bake for 28–30 minutes, until the logs are set and lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F (150°C).
- Slice. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut each log on a slight diagonal into 3/4-inch slices. Lay the slices cut-side down on the baking sheet in a single layer.
- Second bake. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then flip each biscotto and bake for another 10 minutes, until dry and crisp throughout. They will firm up further as they cool.
- Cool completely. Transfer to a wire rack and cool fully before storing. Biscotti keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks — they are better the second day.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 118 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 48mg