Biscotti - unblanched almonds

Method

• Prepare the biscotti.
• Preheat the oven to 300F (150C).
• Spread the almonds and pistachios evenly on a baking sheet and place in the oven.
• Toast for about 30 minutes, until they are golden brown.
• You will be able to smell the nuts when they are ready.
• A good test is to break a nut in half and check to see if it is light brown on the inside.
• Toasting the nuts brings out their natural flavor.
• Remove them from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet on a wire rack.
• Place the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined, about 5 minutes; the mixture will hold together in a soft dough.
• Add the cooled toasted nuts and mix until they are evenly incorporated, about 1 minute.
• If you are using a hand-held mixer, you may want to knead in the nuts by hand to avoid burning out the motor of the mixer.
• Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place on a very lightly floured work surface.
• If the dough is sticky and hard to work with, it is too soft.
• To fix this, flatten it into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour.
• (When the butter in the dough gets cold, the dough will stiffen.)
• Remove from the refrigerator and proceed.)
• Preheat the oven to 350F (175C).
• Divide the dough into three equal pieces.
• Use the palms of your hands to roll each piece on the lightly floured work surface into a rope 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
• Each rope should be even and fit on your baking sheet lengthwise.
• If the dough sticks to your hands or to the work surface as you are rolling it, dust it lightly with flour.
• Roll firmly to remove any trapped air bubbles.
• (At this stage, you can wrap the dough well in plastic wrap and freeze for up to two weeks.
• Bring it back to room temperature before baking.)
• Place two of the biscotti ropes on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet.
• You will only have room for two because they spread as they bake.
• With a pastry brush, lightly brush each rope with the egg white; this will add shine to the baked biscotti.
• Bake until golden brown, about 30 minues.
• Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheet.
• Use a serrated knife to slice the biscotti on a diagonal into 1/2-inch thick cookies.
• If you do this while the biscotti are still warm, they will not crumble.
• The biscotti will harden as they cool.
• If they are still soft when you slice them, place the slices on a baking sheet and bake at 300F (150C) for another 10 to 15 minutes.
• Repeat the baking and cooling procedure with the remaining biscotti rope.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for two to three weeks.