- November 23, 2024
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Pastry chef Holly Peterson said she accidently fell into cooking a few years ago when she agreed to make a cheesecake for a friend’s birthday, not knowing of the difficulty of the dessert at the time of agreement.
The cake came out perfect, and that is when she said she fell in love with baking.
Growing up, Peterson said she had a passion for food, but never thought about being a pastry chef as a profession. After researching, she was ecstatic to find out it was something she could do to make a living.
Peterson immediately began baking for friends and eventually enrolled in culinary school. One month before graduating from culinary she was hired as the pastry chef at Hammock Dunes.
“It’s been an amazing opportunity to work with chef Jason Hall, certified executive chef, learning from him and everyone in the kitchen, not necessarily about baking, but food production and how a professional kitchen works,” she said.
I met up with Peterson in the Hammock Dunes kitchens for a tutorial in making biscotti — chocolate chip biscotti.
“I know for most people they think of it as a daunting task, but it’s actually really easy, if you follow directions it will come out,” she said.
The recipe requires basic ingredients that most novice bakers have on stock in their cabinets.
The most important thing she said to remember is that when you bake it the first time, you bake it in one big piece. Most people think because the final product is a dry hard texture bakers try to get that in the first bake. But, the dough should still be soft after the first bake; it should give when you touch it. Slice it, and bake again.
Peterson said that she turns the oven down for the second bake and the second bake is what gives it that crunch. Be cautious because the biscotti should still be a little soft in the center but it will harden up as it cools.
When asked the best piece of advice she could give to novice bakers, Peterson said to keep it fun and don’t take it too seriously.
“People approach cooking or baking like it is some daunting task, but the most important part is the love that you put into it. Even if it doesn’t turn out perfectly, someone knowing that you have made something for them makes it all worth-while.”
Chocolate Chip Biscotti
What you need:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup semisweet (mini) chocolate chips
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
What to do:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until well combined.
Whisk together vanilla, eggs and egg white in a small bowl. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture; stir until well combined. The mixture will be very dry.
Divide dough into two equal pieces. Turn dough out onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
With floured hands, shape each piece of dough into an eight-inch long roll; pat down rolls to ½-inch thickness.
Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes. Dough will be baked all the way through, but still soft.
Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes or until easy to handle.
Using a sharp, serrated knife, cut each roll diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange slices on baking sheet and bake for an additional 15 minutes at 325°F or until almost firm.
Biscotti will be slightly soft in center, but will harden as they cool. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
