Shortbread
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| When I was assistante in a lycie in the Pyrenees, I often made shortbread |
| for the pupils and staff. They absolutely loved it but always said how rich |
| it was. This had never occurred to me, for it was such a part of my life |
| that I just took it for what it was - simple and delicious, yet almost |
| mundane. But considering it was originally a special-occasion biscuit |
| (unlike the plainer bannocks and oatcakes), which has gradually become |
| mainstream, it is not really surprising that first-timers consider it rich. |
| In her book on the Scots household in the eighteenth century, Marion |
| Lochhead writes about tea parties of the day where the hostess 'must have a |
| plate of bun and one of shortbread - either in a cake, broken into bits, or |
| in little, round nickety Tantallon cakes, or in the favourite "petticoat |
| tails". (I have no idea what nickety means either!) Many years on, |
| shortbread still appears at all the best tea parties and also on special |
| occasions such as Hogmanay (with black bun) but is also as regular a feature |
| in Scottish kitchens as porridge or mince. |
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| The following recipe is from my Granny Anderson's recipe book and my Auntie |
| Muriel has dated it 14 January 1947. No one can recall this being a special |
| occasion but the two brothers and two sisters were all back from their war |
| duties and were living at home together once again. Feeding six adults every |
| night must have been hard work but my grandmother was a strong character, |
| having brought up four children pretty much on her own while her husband was |
| away at sea. Shortbread would have been one of many items filling the |
| biscuits tins, baked either by granny or her daughters, for visitors or |
| family tea. |
| My granny's recipe is a rather frugal one - many recipes give a higher ratio |
| of butter to flour. Instead of semolina you could use rice flour (ground |
| rice) for a similarly crunchy texture. Or use fine semolina (farola) or |
| cornflour for a more melt-in-the mouth feel. Simplest of all, of course, is |
| to use only flour. |
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| Remember that shortbread should never be kneaded for longer than it takes to |
| bring the dough together quickly in your hands. Overworking it will toughen |
| the shortbread. Indeed I never roll it with a rolling pin. I just press it |
| out lightly to the required shape before baking. The lightest hand will give |
| the lightest shortbread. |
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| Makes about 16 pieces |
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| | 110g4oz slightly salted butter, softened |
| | 50g2oz caster sugar |
| | 175g6oz plain flour, sifted |
| | 50g2oz semolina |
| | caster sugar, for dredging |
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| Preheat the oven to 170 C/325 F/Gas 3. Cream the butter and sugar together, |
| then gradually add the flour and semolina. Bring together with your hands |
| and knead briefly to combine to a ball. Using your fingers, lightly press it |
| out to a rectangle, about 5mm/1/4 in thick, then cut it into fingers (it can |
| also be pressed into two 20cm/8in sandwich tins or a shortbread mould). |
| Place on a greased baking tray and prick lightly all over with a fork, then |
| bake for about 20 minutes or until pale golden brown. Dredge with caster |
| sugar and transfer to a wire rack to cool. |
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| Variations |
| Highlanders: shape the dough into a long roll, roll this in milk then |
| demerara sugar and cut into slices before baking. |
| Yetholm bannock: add 1 heaped tablespoon of chopped crystallised ginger and |
| an egg yolk to the basic dough, which should be baked in an oblong. |
| Pitcaithly bannock: add 1 tablespoon each of chopped almonds and candied |
| peel to the dough and bake in a large round. |
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| (ID: 79991) Mirror: rec.food.recipes: Wed, Dec 4, 2002 |