Shortbread…yummy I presume :)
Posted on | September 21, 2009 | 3 Comments
Last night I went to see some friends who made a nice, yummy traditional dutch meal that I don’t remember the name (sorry, I know I heard it a billion times) with mashed potatoes, salad and bacon and I thought I should bring some desert. You know me, I love baking, and I love sharing whatever I bake, too!
Knowing there were going to be a few people from the UK, and since I had no baking powder at home (on Sunday, EVERYTHING is closed here!) I decided to go for shortbread. Yum. As I have recently purchased a nice book from Good Food called 101 Cakes and Bakes I decided to give the recipe in there a try. Very nice indeed.
The recipe is actually rather simple, full of butter and sugar, obviously. You will need:
300 grams flour
200 grams butter (creamy, yummy, the best you can find)
100 grams caster sugar
a pinch of salt (I used Himalayan pink salt, but any good salt is ok)
First, you will need to blend the flour and softened butter together, preferably with a food processor. You have to pulse a few times until you get something resembling bread crumbs. You will then mix in the sugar and knead a bit the dough until it all comes together. If you feel it is too dry, you can add a teensy bit of water but be careful because you don’t want it too become too moist.
You then roll it on a lightly floured surface (I just patted it with my hands since I don’t have a pastry rolling pin yet) into a nice 28 cms disc and transfer it in a greased baking pan. You can now make some markings on the disc to help you cut the shortbread after it’s done. I cut it into 16 pieces and pricked it with a fork. Pop it in the oven (preheated to about 140 degrees C) for like 35-40 minutes (watch closely until the edges become light golden brown) and when it’s done sprinkle some caster sugar on top and a teensy bit of salt.
For those of you wondering what the dark red thing on top is (no, it’s not blood, although I do come from Dracula land): it’s plum jam that I had made a few weeks ago and I just spread on top of the shortbread before sprinkling with sugar.
All in all, people raved about it and after tasting it, I must say it’s really awesome. Easy to make, would probably go amazingly with a cup of tea (yes, I am a tea lover, sorry). Definitely going to make it again.
Scrumptious!
Comments
3 Responses to “Shortbread…yummy I presume :)”
Leave a Reply
September 22nd, 2009 @ 03:28
This looks really good! I just got some Himalayan sea salt from Sustainable Sourcing https://secure.sustainablesourcing.com and I think I’ll try it out in this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
September 26th, 2009 @ 13:00
Here’s a good challenge for your next culinary adventure: Pollo de Aguascalientes.
In the blue corner, ingredients:
Ingredients
o 1 2 ½ to 3 pound chicken, cut into serving pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper
o 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
o 1 medium onion, cut into thin crescents
o 2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
o 1 teaspoon sugar
o 1 teaspoon salt
o 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
o 1 teaspoon ground cloves
o ½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves
o 3 tomatoes, seeded, peeled and chopped
o ½ cup dry white wine
o ½ cup chicken broth
o 2/3 cup dried apricots or peaches (called orejonas de durazno in Mexico), halved
o 2/3 cup dried pears, halved
In the red corner, preparation:
In a large skillet, sauté the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove to a plate. Add the onion to the skillet and sauté until transparent. Add the garlic and continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Stir in the sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves and oregano. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until they have rendered their juices.
Return the chicken pieces to the skillet. Add the wine and cook until it is reduced by half. Add the chicken broth, cover and cook over medium heat for 35 minutes. (Remove breast pieces after 20-25 minutes, since they cook in shorter time.)
Add dried fruit to skillet and continue cooking, covered, for 15 minutes longer. Taste and add salt if desired. Serve with rice. Serves 6. And kicks major backside if properly done
September 26th, 2009 @ 13:06
Well, well, well, this sounds delicious. I promise to make it soon and show my results. I think they’ll be rather yummy! And showwrick, thanks for reading my blog, it’s a real honour