WALNUT, ORANGE AND BLACK PEPPER BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• To begin, toast and chop the walnuts, have ready the zests, grind the pepper and bring butter and eggs to room temperature.
• Line two trays with parchment paper or nonstick liners like Exopat. Have ready a large floured surface, a dough scraper and extra parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl sift the flours, baking powder, soda, salt and pepper.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating well, and add the zest and vanilla.
• Stir in the dry mixture into the butter mixture, then add the nuts. Do not over mix but also don't leave streaks of flour either. You will have quite a goopy mess.
• Tip the dough out onto your work surface. Divide the dough into pieces. Two pieces for large trad. size biscotti, four pieces for smaller, thinner ones.
• With floured hands and/or your dough scraper, form into logs about 12 inches long and 2 inches wide, quickly place onto trays about 3" apart, brush off excess flour, and put into the middle of preheated oven. (I say quickly because if you bumble about.
• picking the logs up they will fall back onto the board. If this happens, don't worry, just form into logs and try again.).
• If you don't want to cook all of the logs, wrap them up in parchment, then saran wrap and freeze.
• Cook for about 20 mins (small) or 25 mins (large logs) until they are just turning golden.
• Remove from oven, let cool on baking rack for 10 minutes or so -- longer doesn't hurt.
• Now put the biscotti logs on a big cutting board, cut them on the diagonal about 3/4" wide, replace on same trays cut side down and place in oven (still 350° F.) for 7-8 minutes or until as hard as you want. I like them like granite so it takes them longer.
• Let cool on racks and then store in airtight containers.