Fresh raspberry purée stirred into white wine syrup yields a gorgeous garnet sauce. Add bite-size nectarine or peeled peach pieces to the chilled sauce for an easy height-of summer dessert. The crunchy biscotti are irresistible on their own but even better when dipped in the wine sauce or in a little sweet wine. Pack them in a tin as soon as they are cool and hide them from yourself. They improve in flavor and texture after a day. Julie Marchini, matriarch of the fig-growing Marchini family (pictured on page 169 of Wine Country Table), makes similar biscotti with dried chopped figs in place of the raisins.
WINE SUGGESTION: California Orange Muscat or late-harvest Semillon or Sauvignon Blanc
Ingredients
- 1½ cups Gewürztraminer, Muscat or other fragrant white wine, or more to taste
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1⅓ cups raspberries
- 3 large, ripe nectarines or peaches
- 1 cup whole raw almonds
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sifted unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons whole aniseed
- ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon anise extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 1 cup raisins
Preparation
FOR THE NECTARINES IN RASPBERRY WINE SAUCE
In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of the wine, the water and the sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer until reduced to 1½ cups. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill thoroughly.
Purée the raspberries in a food processor, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids with a rubber spatula so only the seeds are left behind. Add the raspberry purée and the remaining ½ cup wine to the chilled wine syrup and stir to mix. If the wine sauce still seems too sweet, add a splash more wine. Re-cover and chill thoroughly.
FOR THE BISCOTTI
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Toast the almonds on a heavy rimmed baking sheet until golden brown inside, 25 to 30 minutes. Break one open to check for doneness. Let cool completely. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, aniseed and salt.
In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar, continuing to beat until the mixture is light. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until blended. Add the extracts and beat until well mixed. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in two batches alternating with the brandy, beating just until blended after each addition. Add the raisins and whole almonds and beat just until blended. Remove bowl from the mixer stand, cover the bowl and chill the dough for 2 to 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. On a floured work surface, divide the dough into three equal portions. It will be very sticky. Using your hands, shape each portion into a log 13-inches long, using as little flour as possible to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or your hands. Put two logs on one baking sheet and one log on the second baking sheet.
Bake one baking sheet at a time until the logs are golden brown and firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. (If you have two ovens, preheat them both and bake both pans at the same time.) Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the pan on a wire rack. Leave the oven on. Transfer the cooled logs to a cutting board and cut on the diagonal into slices ⅓ to ½ inch thick. Return the slices, one cut side down, to the baking sheet and bake until lightly colored, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer to a rack to cool. Repeat with the second pan. You should have about 6 dozen biscotti.
About this recipe
TO SERVE
About an hour before serving, halve and pit the nectarines or peel, halve and pit the peaches. Cut into bite-size pieces and add them to the raspberry sauce.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
With a slotted spoon, divide the nectarines or peaches among 6 martini glasses or other stemmed glasses. Top with the raspberry wine sauce, dividing it evenly.
Serve immediately.
