Baked Gifts: Chocolate Biscotti Recipe

For the holiday season, I'm repeating this post from 2012. This Chocolate Biscotti Recipe from David Lebovitz is easy to make. Bake a delicious gift! Start out with good ingredients such as Valrhona Cocoa, demerara sugar, slivered almonds and chocolate chips. As a fan of food and bigger fan of Paris, I follow the blog of expat American +David Lebovitz, pastry chef, author of cookbooks and one of my favorite iPhone apps, Paris Pastry®. I made his Chocolate Biscotti Recipe for holiday gifts.  Is it possible for an amateur like me to turn out great biscotti? I took David's advice and searched out the best cocoa as he proclaims it makes a big difference. At the new +Sur La Table® in Durham, I found +Valrhona® Cocoa Powder  (made in France) and while a bit on the pricey side, I'm now a convert to this brand. Intense chocolate. I also picked up demerara sugar (for the glaze) and slivered almonds at the local +Southern Season in Chapel Hill. Pause for technology tip: You'll note that there are now plus signs in front of some links. These are easy links provided by Google+ to profile pages so I don't have to go searching the web while I type and copy/paste in web addresses. I converted my blogger profile to Google+ for easier link-up. These links aren't paid or click ads. I started with a fresh bag of flour (Trader Joe's®). To keep flour from flying everywhere, I put the bag in a big bowl to contain the mess while I scoop. Toasting almonds on stovetop. I've never succeeded at toasting almonds in the oven. I tend to look away at the wrong time and end up with a burned mess. Now, I use a Calphalon® nonstick crepe pan that is flat. No butter or oil. I gently shake the pan, or stir with a wooden spoon, over medium (gas) heat until the almonds are lightly toasted. They will continue to toast in the hot pan, so I immediately put the almonds in a bowl until ready to add to the biscotti batter. The biscotti batter is very thick, so don't be alarmed. David doesn't use butter and this gives you a perfect, dense biscotti. The almond-cherry biscotti that I've made before, used butter. To me, the texture is better without. Biscotti is "twice baked" and the only thing difficult about making it is patience. After the first baking, the two logs look good enough to eat, but don't do it!  After first baking. (I use parchment paper on a cookie sheet.) Slice on cutting board, using a serrated bread knife. Cool for fifteen minutes after first baking. Slide the biscotti off of the parchment (or silicone mat) onto a cutting board. Use a large serrated bread knife and cut the logs into half inch pieces.  Re-reading David's recipe, he says to "diagonally cut" and I didn't catch that, so I cut straight slices. It didn't seem to be an issue with my biscotti. I managed to cut forty-eight biscotti out of my two logs and David lists fifty to sixty. Place the slices onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and return to oven for second baking. I rotated the pans halfway through the bake time. My range is duel-fuel, so the oven is electric. Final verdict: this is the best biscotti recipe that I've made. So much better than store bought, so don't hesitate to try David's recipe if you've got the time for baking. Biscotti slices are ready to go into the oven for second baking. Ready to enjoy! Notice the nice demerara sugar glaze on the edges. For gifting, I purchased red fold-down food bags from The Kitchen Store® at University Mall in Chapel Hill. These cute bags were only fifty-nine cents each. I like the Christmas tree window that shows off the contents. Store biscotti for two weeks in an airtight container. Trust me, these goodies will be eaten long before they expire—dip in espresso or other coffee.  Ready to gift. Ready to keep for two weeks (eaten in two days). PS technology tip:  I used my iPhone 4s for all photos. Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Do You Know the Way to Monet's Gardens at Giverny?

The Grande Allée in Monet's Clos Normand.
Giverny, France. September 2013

In Paris, the weather is anything but predictable, but you cannot wait around for a sunny day. So it was with umbrellas and raincoats that my husband and two friends left our apartments in the Marais neighborhood and descended into the Saint-Paul Métro station at seven that September morning. Destination: Giverny.

Switching once at the Châtelet métro (but we prefer to switch at Concorde), we traveled to the regional train station, Gare Saint Lazare. There, we purchased roundtrip SNCF tickets on the Rouen-bound train. Before boarding, we validated our tickets in the yellow boxes on the platforms. If you don't validate, you'll have to pay the conductor a fine when he comes around to check tickets.

After forty-minutes in our comfortable second class seats, we descended onto the platform at Vernon. Since there were four of us, we climbed into a taxi (instead of the buses) destined for the nearby village of Giverny. Minutes later, we were the first ones in the door at 9:30 a.m.

Easy—because I'm familiar with Paris and have been to Giverny. (Our friends later called me a Garmin GPS). Although it can be daunting to find your way to Giverny without a guide, you can go without a tour group.

Here are some tips to help you find your way, but remember to double-check all information before you go as anything can change.

SNCF Train Schedules
You can search for Paris to Vernon on the SNCF train website. Once you decide what time you want to depart Paris, plan how much métro (or taxi) time you need to get to Gare Saint Lazare. Allow another twenty minutes to get to the platform and purchase a ticket.

You don't need to purchase these train tickets online.

Paris Métro Map
Find the métro line closest to your hotel/apartment in Paris. You may have to switch trains to get on a line that goes to Saint Lazare.

Saint Lazare Train Station
From the métro—go up, up, up to the Grandes Lignes arrival and departure platforms (accès aux quais).

If you're not experienced with the ticket machines, go to the window and buy a round-trip (retour) ticket (billet) to Vernon on the SNCF train headed toward Rouen. For the forty-minute trip, a 2nd class train car is quite comfortable. No seat assignment is made for 2nd class. Choose an empty seat.

Make sure you get a train schedule when you buy the ticket so that you'll know what time to return to Paris.

France uses a twenty-four hour clock, so if you want to leave Monet's Gardens in the afternoon, add twelve hours. For example, 4:20 p.m. will show as16h20 on the ticket.

Once you have your ticket for Vernon, watch for departure  (départ) times on the big lighted overhead boards. You want the DIRECT train bound for Rouen with a travel time of 00h44 (forty-four minutes).

When a track (voie) number shows on the marquis, go to the bright yellow box at the beginning of that track and insert your ticket. Once validated, find a coach car for 2nd class and board.

Forty-minutes later, get off at the village of Vernon.

Outside and to the right of the train station, there will be buses waiting to take tourists directly to the nearby village of Giverny, where you'll find Monet's Gardens.

The buses park down the hill, across the road from the village, so it will take 5+ minutes to walk to the admissions door at Monet's Gardens.

Fondation Claude Monet
Located in the small village of Giverny, accessible from the town of Vernon.
Open April 1 until November 1
9:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.
9 euros for adult admission

You'll go through the gift shop first, so pick up a map of the gardens at the ticket window so you can find your way around. Just outside the gift shop, you'll find restrooms.

You cannot picnic in the gardens and there is no place to eat. Your ticket is valid until you exit. You cannot reenter on the same ticket. Once you've left the gardens, you can find several places to dine in the village.

When you're ready to leave, return to the bus parking lot at least 30 minutes before time to catch your train to Paris.

Once you are back at the Vernon train station, find the yellow box to validate your return ticket.

Enjoy your excursion!

Next post...the gardens.


In May 2009, my husband and I visited Monet's Gardens for the first time. Even though we've been to France every year since, it wasn't until September 2013 that we returned to Giverny. On this visit, we showed Southern Living writer, "The Grumpy Gardener" and his wife the way to this gardening mecca.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Pics from Paris: Seeing Red at Luxembourg Gardens

Luxembourg Gardens, Paris.  15 Sept 2013

The fashionable color combo around the Senate building at Luxembourg Gardens is red and purple. This is another favorite garden in Paris where I've never seen the same combinations repeated on my many visits over the years.

Familiar flowers combined for a unique design.
Castor bean, dahlias, petunias and geraniums dominate.

Panoramic view of public section of the gardens.
Pink (begonias and anemones) and blue plumbago towers (corners) are introduced.

I like the use of purple fountain grass and purple spires of salvia.

Add caption

I'm inspired by the spires of salvia. Love this look.

On a smaller scale, this would look great in a cottage garden.

The color coordination of my scarf with
the garden was purely coincidental.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel.  All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Pics from Paris: Dahlias are a Big Deal

Dahlia 'Bel Amour' at Jardin des Plantes. 15 Sept 2013

Jardin des Plantes is my favorite Paris garden, and I wander through on every visit, in different seasons and it's always delightful.

Huge dahlia blooms—in many forms and colors—are abundant right now. The flower trial sign indicates the varieties were created by Label Rouge and are "Les dahlias de qualité supérieure."

After enjoying our picnic on a bench in the gardens, I snapped a few dahlia photos to share with you. I can't decide which ones I like the best—do you have a favorite?

Huge blooms!

Dahlia 'Château de la Bordaisière'

Dahlia 'Flamina'

Dahlia 'Bumble Rumble'

Dahlia 'Fripon' is a short variety, paired with echinops.

Dahlia 'Néo'

Dahlia 'Colorama'

Dahlia 'Clair de Lune'

These red dahlias show the height of most.
Paired with deep red coleus, backed by grasses.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Pics from Paris: Louvre Lawnmowers

Tuileries Garden, Musée du Louvre in Paris. Sept 2013

Don't you know the goats would love a bit more rope to reach those flowers in the Tuileries Garden? A few days later, the goats were gone, but the grass was evenly trimmed in the ravine. Good work from the goats.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Chocolate Biscotti (A David Lebovitz Recipe)

Start out with good ingredients such as Valrhona Cocoa,
demerara sugar, slivered almonds and chocolate chips.

As a fan of food and bigger fan of Paris, I follow the blog of expat American +David Lebovitz, pastry chef, author of cookbooks and one of my favorite iPhone apps, Paris Pastry®. I made his Chocolate Biscotti Recipe for holiday gifts. 

Is it possible for an amateur like me to turn out great biscotti?

I took David's advice and searched out the best cocoa as he proclaims it makes a big difference. At the new +Sur La Table® in Durham, I found +Valrhona® Cocoa Powder  (made in France) and while a bit on the pricey side, I'm now a convert to this brand. Intense chocolate. I also picked up demerara sugar (for the glaze) and slivered almonds at the local +Southern Season in Chapel Hill.

Pause for technology tip: You'll note that there are now plus signs in front of some links. These are easy links provided by Google+ to profile pages so I don't have to go searching the web while I type and copy/paste in web addresses. I converted my blogger profile to Google+ for easier link-up. These links aren't paid or click ads.

I started with a fresh bag of flour (Trader Joe's®).
To keep flour from flying everywhere, I put the bag in a
big bowl to contain the mess while I scoop.

Toasting almonds on stovetop.

I've never succeeded at toasting almonds in the oven. I tend to look away at the wrong time and end up with a burned mess. Now, I use a Calphalon® nonstick crepe pan that is flat. No butter or oil. I gently shake the pan, or stir with a wooden spoon, over medium (gas) heat until the almonds are lightly toasted. They will continue to toast in the hot pan, so I immediately put the almonds in a bowl until ready to add to the biscotti batter.

The biscotti batter is very thick, so don't be alarmed. David doesn't use butter and this gives you a perfect, dense biscotti. The almond-cherry biscotti that I've made before, used butter. To me, the texture is better without.

Biscotti is "twice baked" and the only thing difficult about making it is patience. After the first baking, the two logs look good enough to eat, but don't do it! 

After first baking. (I use parchment paper on a cookie sheet.)

Slice on cutting board, using a serrated bread knife.

Cool for fifteen minutes after first baking. Slide the biscotti off of the parchment (or silicone mat) onto a cutting board. Use a large serrated bread knife and cut the logs into half inch pieces. 

Re-reading David's recipe, he says to "diagonally cut" and I didn't catch that, so I cut straight slices. It didn't seem to be an issue with my biscotti. I managed to cut forty-eight biscotti out of my two logs and David lists fifty to sixty.

Place the slices onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and return to oven for second baking. I rotated the pans halfway through the bake time. My range is duel-fuel, so the oven is electric.

Final verdict: this is the best biscotti recipe that I've made. So much better than store bought, so don't hesitate to try David's recipe if you've got the time for baking.

Biscotti slices are ready to go into the oven for second baking.

Ready to enjoy!
Notice the nice demerara sugar glaze on the edges.

For gifting, I purchased red fold-down food bags from The Kitchen Store® at University Mall in Chapel Hill. These cute bags were only fifty-nine cents each. I like the Christmas tree window that shows off the contents.

Store biscotti for two weeks in an airtight container. Trust me, these goodies will be eaten long before they expire—dip in espresso or other coffee. 

Ready to gift.

Ready to keep for two weeks (eaten in two days).

PS technology tip:  I used my iPhone 4s for all photos.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Capturing Paris

1. La Tour Eiffel shot from Museé du Quai Branly. Paris, October 2012

2. Boucicaud Square, Sévres Babylon neighborhood. Paris, October 2012

3. "Jelly Baby Family" by artist Mario Perucchetti.
Photo by my husband. Paris, October 2012.

4. Parc Monceau. Paris, October 2012

5. Panorama of Parc Monceau. Paris, October 2012
(click to enlarge photo)

6. View of Louvre. Paris, October 2012
Special effects using CameraBag.

I packed a "real" camera, but it never left our Paris apartment. On this trip in October 2012, I used my iPhone 4s with OS 6 for all photos. That said, we've traveled to Paris many times, so I've accumulated hundreds of photos with Canon and Sony cameras that took advantage of powerful zoom capabilities and high resolution. I've used some of those photos to decorate our family room. If you travel to Paris for a once-in-a-lifetime trip, take your best camera.

Unless specified in the caption, none of these photos were edited (other than cropped or straightened). You may click any photo for a slideshow.

Where to take your own photos of these scenes:

1. La Tour Eiffel shot from Museé du Quai Branly: If you're walking along the Seine between the Eiffel Tower and Musée d'Orsay, stop off and wander through the walled garden of the Quai Branly Museum in the evening. Besides going inside the museum, there's a little coffee shop/snack bar if you want to wait for the Eiffel Tower lights.
2. Boucicaud Square, Sévres Babylon neighborhood: Get off at the métro at the Sévres Babylon stop. This little park with the marble statue of Mme. Boucicaud and Baronne de Rothschild and stroll the neighborhood to go to the Sorbonne or Cluny Museum.
3. "Jelly Baby Family" by artist Mario Perucchetti: See this work of art (and a few others by the same artist), in front of Église Saint-Eustache (a church) near the Louvre.
4. Parc Monceau: A beautiful, tranquil park filled with French families strolling, playing and picnicking. This park is in an upscale neighborhood, within a few blocks of the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Élysées.
5. Panorama of Parc Monceau: For more on how to do panoramic shots, see this story.
6. Louvre view: Walk through the arches from rue de Rivoli. I used CameraBag software for this special effect.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Jardin des Plantes Is Better in Autumn

Jardin des Plantes, Paris in panorama mode. October 2012
(click to enlarge photos)

Jardin des Plantes in October exceeded my expectations with grand displays of color, especially through salvia, tropicals and grasses. This is my favorite garden in Paris, but all of my prior visits were in the spring when the tulips and forget-me-nots formed low carpets of color.

All of my photos were taken with an iPhone 4s with OS/6. Today, we went to a social hosted by realtor Adrian Leeds (you may have seen her on HGTV's House Hunters International). "Eye Phoned Paris" was presented by professional photographer Michael Honegger who introduced us to a few applications to edit and enhance photos taken with an iPhone. After I shot these photos, I played around with CameraBag and Iris Photo Suite, so some have been edited with filters. For true inspiration in photography, be sure to take a look at Michael's website.

We spent very little time in the gardens today as it began to sprinkle rain. Perhaps we'll return to the Jardins on this trip as I never made it through this one front garden, let alone the wooded paths or alpine garden. This is a true botanical garden with many (free) sections and I highly recommend visiting to stroll or admire the plantings.

Passiflora at Jardin des Plantes. Enhanced.
I used CameraBag "fish eye" and
Iris Photo Suite for the watermark.

Glorious red salvia greggii steals this scene (above).
Tall grasses and tropical foliage add height (below).

Beautiful mixed borders
fill Jardin des Plantes.

Salvia leucantha looking great.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.