GIMME SOME SUGA
 

GIMME SOME SUGAR

Some who’ve snuck a peek into my kitchen have wondered why I sprinkle sugar, instead of flour, on my table and roll the biscotti out in the crystals. Well, it’s one of the secrets to Gilda’s Biscotti, and as with most of my other innovations, this one happened completely by accident.

When I was still perfecting my biscotti recipe, I was working as a pastry chef at the famed Le Bec Fin, under the renowned, and irascible, Chef George Perrier – infamous for his kitchen tirades. One day at work, I was fooling around with my biscotti while I was supposed to be doing something else, and suddenly Chef Perrier appeared from around the corner. Panicked that I would be screamed at, I tried to gather up my dough and knocked a container of sugar all over my workspace, all over the dough.

Once Chef walked away, I ended up baking my now-sugar-coated dough…boom! The sugar melted and crystalized into an amazing craggly texture. And I still make my biscotti the same way 20 years later.

 
Michael Miller
BARK AS GOOD AS ITS BITE
 

BARK AS GOOD AS ITS BITE

In the fall and winter, my customers look forward to my Bittersweet Biscotti Bark, an addictive combination of biscotti crumbs and chocolate. What’s noteworthy is how the Bark came to be. Like most our advances at Gilda’s Biscotti, it was by complete accident.

I dip the large café biscotti during the holiday rush, and I usually have a family member working with me in the shop who likes to dip their own little stash for later. This kind of “help” results in a bowl of leftover chocolate riddled with crumbs.

On one occasion, there wasn’t enough chocolate to save – and I don’t like throwing things away – so I poured the mixture onto some baking paper and let it set. Boom. That’s how Bittersweet Biscotti Bark was born. We now tediously collect all the crumbs off the cutting boards…all in a day’s work.

The Bark has become enormously popular, but it’s still only available from Halloween to Easter. So there’s only a limited time left to get your Bark fix for the year.

 
Michael Miller
MY 23RD ANNIVERSARY!
 

MY 23RD ANNIVERSARY!

Here at Gilda’s Biscotti, it’s with a lot of excitement and great pleasure that we celebrate our 23rd anniversary! We hope you’ll enjoy all the news, musings, and highlights from the bakery and farm, along with updates on new products and gift ideas. As we look back over the past two decades with much gratitude, we are excited about all that lies ahead!

Thank you for being a part of my story!

 
Michael Miller
PAIRING IDEA: VIN SANTO
 

PAIRING IDEA: VIN SANTO

What pairs with biscotti? The obvious answer for most people is coffee. But it’s not the only beverage that works! For years, I’ve been telling people that one of the best pairings for biscotti is the sweet Tuscan wine, vin santo. Which makes sense, since biscotti originated in the Tuscan town of Prato.

Dating to the Renaissance, vin santo was the wine of choice for Sunday mass in Rome — literally, the “holy wine” — and the very best vin santo still conveys layers of unique flavor, and deep down suggest something like an an ornate, incense-filled church.

Vin santo wine is made in a very special and old-fashioned way~ just like authentic biscotti ~with the winemakers drying freshly harvested grapes on straw mats to concentrate the sugar before crushing and fermenting the wine.
So do like the Tuscans. After dinner, pour yourself a vin santo and dip that biscotti in the sweet nectar.

 
Michael Miller
MEET THE MAKER: GILDA'S BISCOTTI
 

MEET THE MAKER: GILDA'S BISCOTTI
By Erin Wood

When Gilda Doganiero says biscotti, you want to ask her to repeat the word, because her voice already has you dreaming. Bite, and you’ll see why it isn’t bombastic to toss around reviews like “best cookies in the world” and “best biscotti this side of the Atlantic,” nor to marvel “it’s a wonder that anyone can keep them in stock.”

You’ll be captivated by every flavor, including Chocolate Espresso, Lemon Fig, Almond Anise, Cherry Pistachio, and Vanilla Bean.

http://www.savorypantryblog.com/blog/2017/2/23/meet-the-maker-gildas-biscotti

 
Michael Miller