Almond biscotti

About 3 hours, plus freezing time. Makes 16 large biscotti

8½ ounces flour 1½ teaspoons salt 1 cup (2 sticks) butter 1 cup plus 2 heaping tablespoons (½ pound) sugar 1 teaspoon orange zest 1 teaspoon lemon zest 2 extra large eggs 1¼ teaspoons vanilla extract 3⁄8 teaspoon almond extract 7 ounces sliced almonds, finely ground, about 2 cups 2½ ounces whole almonds, coarsely chopped, a scant ½ cup

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. 2. In a bowl, sift together the flour and salt.

3. In the work bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, sugar, orange zest and lemon zest and beat at medium-high speed until fully incorporated and light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla and almond extract and mix well, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture, ground almonds and chopped almonds to make a dough that will be a bit sticky and loose.

4. Turn the dough onto the lined baking sheet and form the dough into a half-cylinder log about 12 inches long, 3 3/4-inches wide at the base and 1 1/2-inches tall. 5. Freeze the log overnight. 6. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Bake the frozen cylinder until mostly firm in the center of the log but not too dark — it should give a little but appear fully cooked — about 65 minutes.

7. Cool the log for 30 minutes and while still warm and soft, cut the log crosswise into 3/4-inch thick slices. If the pressure of the knife causes the log to crush when you start to slice it, it is underbaked; return it to the oven to complete baking and cool again before attempting to slice. If it crumbles when you start slicing, it has cooled too much. Return the log to the oven for 10 minutes or so to soften and let cool slightly before attempting to slice again.

8. Place each slice on its side and bake until just firm, about 40 minutes. They will dry out slightly as they cool.