Bacon and Green Onion Savory Biscotti

A couple week's ago, I catered my friend Mollie's baby shower. I had a lot of fun brainstorming appetizer-y food and had even more fun because the momma-to-be has a tiny, almost non-existent sweet tooth. This meant that I got to make all savory food!

I will tell you more about the other hors d'ouevres in my next post but will feature the star of the show in this post...Bacon Chive Biscotti.

I knew that I wanted to serve slightly-larger-than-shooter size cups of my mom's beet vichysoisse [http://vickisawyer.com/recipes.php#beet_v]. It is delicious. Think pink potato leek soup. I thought that little glasses full of creamy, pink soup would be adorable for a baby girl's shower. I knew that the soup would be great but I wanted it to be a little sassier. 

I was peeking at Martha's Hors D'Ouevres Handbook and saw a picture of savory biscotti. I didn't even know that such a thing existed! She packed hers with things like capers and fennel. Martha's sounded delicious but the mama to be loves bacon and I hadn't included bacon in a single dish! 

What would pair perfectly with leeky, creamy, hot pink soup? Salty and smoky bacon chive biscotti! This biscotti recipe, because of the butter and bacon, has a shortbread quality. They are not rock-hard like typical biscotti. So scrumptious!

Bacon and Green Onion Biscotti
*Makes about 3 1/2 dozen
2 1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
8 T chilled butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 T olive oil
2 large eggs
1/2 c. milk
1 1/4 lbs of bacon
3 green onions, finely chopped 
1 large egg, lightly beaten with a tablespoon of water

Begin by frying the bacon until crisp. I like to bake mine on an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet, with sides, in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes, flipping the bacon once. The foil makes the grease very easy to clean up and I don't have to fuss over a frying pan.

Once the bacon has cooled slightly, chop it into small pieces [doesn't have to be perfect but maybe aim for 1/2" square pieces].

In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, pepper, baking powder, and salt on low speed. Add the butter chunks until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. 

 In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, eggs and milk. Slowly pour the liquid mixture into the dough and mix until just combined. 

Add in the green onions and bacon and mix until combined.

You could also do this in a food processor but be sure to turn the dough out into a bowl before adding the green onion and bacon. Mix the bacon and green onion in by hand because the processor blade would get rid of the yummy chunks.

Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each section into a log measuring 7 inches long and at least an inch thick.

Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In the last 10 minutes before removing the biscotti from the fridge, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the biscotti logs from the fridge and place the logs on a lightly oiled baking sheet. The logs will not grow that much during baking, so they can be placed pretty close together.

Brush the top of each log with egg wash and bake for approximately 25 minutes until light brown and firm to the touch.

Remove the logs from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes. Decrease the oven temperature to 300 degrees.

After the logs have cooled, slice them crosswise [you can also slice on a diagonal for longer biscotti] with a serrated knife into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place the slices on top of a wire rack resting in a baking sheet [this way the heat will circulate around the biscotti].

Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the biscotti have dried and turned golden brown.

Once cool, the biscotti will keep in an airtight container for about a week.

Serve with your favorite soup, dunk in your fave dip or eat like delicious crackers!