From the menu of … Seven Lamps, 3400 Around Lenox Road, Atlanta. 404-467-8950; www.sevenlampsatl.com
Q: I recently dined with a group of friends at Seven Lamps in Buckhead. The yummiest thing, by far, wasn’t even on the menu. It was a crispy biscotti with pecans that was served with their pimento cheese. I’m not normally a biscotti fan, but this was so good I’d love to make it at home. Any chance they’d share the recipe?
— Annie Corapi, Morningside
A: Seven Lamps' executive chef and co-owner Drew Van Leuvan has enjoyed creating a menu of familiar ingredients in unfamiliar pairings, like this slightly sweet biscotti served alongside pickles and pimento cheese.
Biscotti are baked in two steps and can be difficult to slice thinly when ready for the second step. A tip from other bakers is to lightly spritz the baked loaf with room-temperature water after its first baking. That will make the crust a little easier to cut through. Orange flower water can be found at the DeKalb Farmers Market and in the specialty food section of some grocery stores.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of restaurant in the subject line.
Seven Lamps’ Pecan Biscotti
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour plus cooling time
Makes: 32
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 heaping cup chopped pecans
1 egg
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste
1/4 teaspoon orange flower water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with lightly greased parchment paper.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar and baking powder. Pulse briefly to combine. Add pecans and pulse just until pecans are coarsely chopped.
In a small bowl, whisk together egg, orange juice, vanilla paste and orange flower water. Pour into food processor and pulse until mixture holds together and pecans are finely chopped, about 20 pulses. Remove dough from food processor and knead. Move dough to prepared baking sheet and form a 1 1/2-inch-tall log that is 3 inches wide.
Bake 20 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool log on wire rack. Keep the baking sheet and parchment paper for the next step.
Lower oven heat to 225 degrees. Slice cooled log into 1/4-inch-wide pieces and lay out on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes or until pieces feel very dry and are beginning to turn golden. They should still feel a bit moist in the center but will continue to dry out as they cool. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. May be made up to 2 weeks ahead if kept in an airtight container.
Per serving: 55 calories (percent of calories from fat, 48), 1 gram protein, 6 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 3 grams fat (trace saturated), 6 milligrams cholesterol, 17 milligrams sodium.
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