- Cardamom Biscotti (Swedish Toast)

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

These people of the north love their Scandinavian heritage. You can buy lefse in any grocery store here and lingonberries too. (Lefse is like tortillas made from mashed potatoes instead of corn and often used for sweets - like slathered in butter and lingonberry jelly.)

We recently came upon a fine recipe of Scandahoovian origin called "Swedish Toast" but really it is like cardamom biscotti. We love it and it lasts and lasts - just like biscotti. Dunk some of this in your coffee on a cold snowy weekend!

(Note, the elders didn't like it as much, due to their teeth. That's why it's good for dunking.)

This recipe hails from our Me's friend Karla Gregg in Minneapolis.

Swedish Toast (Cardamom Biscotti)

1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3-1/2 cups flour
1 cup almonds, blanched
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
grated rind of one lemon

Toast the blanched almonds on a baking sheet in a 300F oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and chop fine in a food processor.

Increase oven temperature to 350F.

Cream butter and sugar together until light. Add eggs and sour cream.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add almonds, cardamom and lemon rind. Stir all into the butter mixture.

Grease a 9x13 pan and spread batter into pan. Bake 40-45 minutes at 350F. Remove from the oven and turn temperature down to 250F.

Cool the pan 10 minutes and remove the bread from the pan. Cut into 3 strips and cut each strip into diagonal pieces 1/2-inch thick. Transfer toast to cookie sheets, cut side down. Toast for 30 minutes at 250F. Turn each toast to other cut side and toast 30 minutes more until light golden and slightly dry.

Serve with coffee or tea.