I like Scotland ! Here two special shortbread recipes.
For the first one, it's a nice story about the origin
of these curiously-named shortbread biscuits:
- some say the name was derived from the french "petites gatelles",
meaning little cakes
- others that its origin lies in the shape of the biscuit which is a
replica of the Elizabethan full gored skirt
- third possibility: it was the clever invention of a cook after
years of broken tips to triangular shaped biscuits :-)
MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v7.07
Title: Petticoat tails
Categories: Cookies
Servings: 1
350 g Plain flour (12 oz)
170 g Butter (6 oz)
50 g Granulated sugar (2 oz)
4 tb Milk
Sift the flour into a bowl and stir in the sugar. Gently heat the butter
and milk together and as soon as the butter has melted stir the liquid
into the flour to make a soft but not sticky dough.
Turn it onto a floured surface and kneat it lightly. Divide the dough in
half then roll the halves out directly onto a baking tray into 9-inch
rounds using a large plate as a guide. Flute the edges.
Cut out a 2-inch circle from the centre but leave it in place. Divide the
outer ring into eight, keeping the inner circle whole. Sprinkle with
granulated sugar and bake at 180 oC (350 oF) for about 30 minutes or until
golden brown and crisp.
From: Janet Warren, A feast of Scotland, 1990, ISBN 1-85051-112-8
MMMMM
Now the other one:
MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v7.07
Title: Chocolate toffee shortbread (Millionaire's shortbread !!)
Categories: Cookies
Servings: 1
MMMMM----------------------------SHORTBREAD---------------------------------
175 g Butter (6 oz)
175 g Granulated sugar (6 oz)
225 g Plain flour (8 oz)
60 g Cornflour (cornstarch) (2oz)
1 ts Baking powder
MMMMM-----------------------------CARAMEL----------------------------------
175 g Granulated sugar (6 oz)
175 g Butter (6 oz)
450 g Condensed milk (15 oz)
1 tb Syrup
Few drops of vanilla extract
MMMMM----------------------------TO FINISH---------------------------------
175 g Dark plain (semisweet)
-- chocolate
a) Shortbread
Cream together the butter and sugar, beating very well. Sift together the
flour, cornflour and baking powder and beat into the butter and sugar.
Spread the mixture in a 30 cm (12 in) long baking tin, about 4 to 5 cm ( 1
to 2 in) deep and smooth even. Bake in a preheated oven, 180 oC (350 oF)
for 20 minutes (or until golden brown). Take the tin out of the oven and
set aside to cool for 10 minutes while you make the caramel.
b) Caramel
Put all the ingredients for the caramel - except the vanilla - into a
saucepan. Over a moderate heat, stir until the butter has melted and the
sugar dissolved completely. Then bring the mixture to the boil and boil
for 5 to 7 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat, stir in the vanilla and continue stirring for
2-3 minutes to cool it slightly. Then pour it over the shortbread.
Leave to cool completely.
To finish, melt the chocolate over hot water (no overheat !!) and pour it
over the caramel layer.
When it is cool, mark into squares with a sharp knife (makes 12 - 16).
Store in airtight container.
From: Claire Macdonald, Lady Macdonald's Scotland, Bulfinch, 1990, ISBN
0-8212-1809-3
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