I try to keep my life story full of adventures, however small. On Saturday, after my usual visit to the farmer’s market I convinced my friend Tara to venture into a tiny Mexican market I recently spotted up on 441, the main thoroughfare through Milledgeville. This town doesn’t have a lot of hidden gems, and my explorations have often led to disappointment, but not this time. The tiny Lucerito was surprisingly well stocked with dried chilies, avocado leaves, and chamomile flowers. It also had a decent selection of produce, including a box of prickly pear, a fruit I’ve never seen at the local Kroger. It had a cooler full of paletas (Mexican popsicles). Despite the fact that it was 11 am, I bought and immediately consumed my favorite flavor, vanilla studded with raisins.

The taste brought me back to Chicago, where I’d first experienced my favorite Mexican foods: authentic tacos, street corn, horchata. A decade ago when I lived in uptown, there was a woman who sold tamales and spicy hot chocolate outside of my L stop on the red line. Nothing tasted better while waiting on the platform in bitter winter weather. It’s just beginning to turn cold here, and this time of year I prefer chocolate spiked with cinnamon and cayenne to played-out pumpkin spice. 

The second batch of biscotti was inspired by a box of rosemary left over from making chicken salad, and a bag of freeze-dried strawberries I’d purchased on my last excursion to Trader Joes. It’s a lighter than the chocolate cookie, perfect for dunking in a cup of afternoon tea.

Spiced Chocolate Pecan Biscotti (GF)

90 g buckwheat flour
35 g corn starch
120 g finely ground pecans
60 g unsweetened cocoa
zest of 2 oranges
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
1/4 t cayenne pepper
2 T fresh orange juice
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
55 g unsalted butter
125 g dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
100 g rough chopped pecans

Pour dry ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Cream butter and sugar for 2 minutes, add eggs and blend one additional minute, add flour mixture and blend on low speed until completely combined. Stir in pecans. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide dough in half and shape into two long flat logs. Bake in a 300° oven for 40 minutes. Remove and cool for 1/2 hour, then slice into 1” thick sections. Bake again, still at 300°, for another 30 minutes, until dry and crisp.

Strawberry Rosemary Millet Biscotti (GF, DF)

110 g millet flour
70 g almond flour
20 g cornstarch
1 tsp psyllium husk powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 T finely chopped fresh rosemary
100 g sugar
1 T coconut oil (melted)
1 t almond extract
2 large eggs
3/4 c uncooked quinoa
1 c rough chopped dried strawberries

Pour dry ingredients, including sugar into a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Melt coconut oil and pour over dry ingredients. Add almond extract and eggs and blend until completely combined. Stir in quinoa and strawberries. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide dough in half and shape into two long flat logs. Bake in a 300° oven for 40 minutes. Remove and cool for 1/2 hour, then slice into 1” thick sections, then bake for another 30 minutes at the same temperature, until crisp and golden.