For anyone with Scots background, shortbread is the Christmas cookie. In whatever “shape or form”, to quote my Dad, it might come. It also happens to be my very favorite cookie of any season and you can find it on the blog in a few incarnations... The endless variations are a large part of its intrinsic attraction for this baker:
Raspberry Shortbread Sandwich Cookies and Valrhona Chocolate Shortbreads with Sea Salt:
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| Tiny, fluted, showered in sugar: “Sparkly, Very Sparkly Stars” |
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| Raspberry Sandwich Cookies |
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| Dipped in Vahlrona chocolate and topped with fleur de sel |
These cookies are always on all my cookie trays in one version or another. Each shortbread cookie is made from the same recipe, but is simply finished differently. The recipe is Eli Zabar’s (NYC) and I took it straight from Ina Garten, who I guess took it straight from Eli, who, it appears got it from his mother! My cookies, however, are quite different than Ina’s. Your cookies will be something else as well. And while these are not terribly innovative or cutting edge, they are terribly delicious. Addictive, in fact. Just add coffee. Just add tea. Just add sherry. Just add…you.
More Time will be on vacation for a short time.
When I’ve cooked a bunch more, I’ll be back!
In the meantime, make my Sparkly cookies. Make merry, friends!
This not-too-sweet, pie crust-like, melt in your mouth gem is actually a tiny, fluted piece of shortbread showered in white sanding sugar. Regular old white sugar will work just as well, as would bright red cookie sugar from the grocery store. The white sanding sugar, however, gives the cookies a sheen and a sophisticated sparkle unlike any other. It yells, “I‘m special.”
While other cookies try and steal the show with great globs of frosting or hunks of high-quality chocolate, this cookie (tiny, but mighty) shows strength and endurance because after you put out a big bowl of them, folks will just keep nipping in until they’re gone. One isn’t enough. Especially with hot tea… or a little snifter of brandy. Try this:
Recipes here for the cookies below:
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| Valhrona-Sea Salt Shortbreads |
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| Raspberry Shortbread Sandwich Cookies |
Sing a new song,
Alyce
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| Are you done baking yet, Mom? |
In the background, the blare of MSNBC
“Egypt IS free.”
Gives new meaning to, actually puts on the other foot… “Let my people go,” doesn’t it?
The long term fallout and where the sparks thrown by the revolution will land are questions to which we have no answer. But the far-reaching waves are now on the way.
Think of other revolutions and their impact and the trail they left. Think China. Think France. Think The United States. I can’t fathom the legacy of this…
At the same time, my denomination, PCUSA (Presbyterian Church, USA), is on the verge of a long-coming crisis as a letter, signed by 45 pastors (all male but one), pretty much proposes a number of our churches splitting off from the denomination. There’s to be a meeting in August in Minneapolis and we’re invited to talk things over. But, it also says our church is dying and other hard, cold part-truths. (I have to ask how much this pales compared to what’s happening in Egypt…)
While I’m familiar with the problems of my church (a treacherous phrase), one of which is a disagreement over ordination standards ( mostly homosexual ordination), there are some other points of difficulty, one of which is a disagreement over the denomination owning buildings and properties. This makes me wonder what is the critical point here.
You can read a well-thought out and well-written response…
Here is Rev. Margaret Aymer’s response...http://mayog.posterous.com/about-your-invitation-an-exegetical-rsvp-to-t.
As Christians, we are already so split up all over the world. I think there are more than 30,000 denominations. If we keep splintering off, we’ll just be left with splinters.
Church of the Beloved’s “Hope for a Tree Cut Down,” contains a song (“Peace”) with the lyrics:
I also freely admit I’ve worshiped with the UCC for the past two years, with the exception of several months in an ecumenical church where I worked as a choir director.
It’s just about Valentine’s Day and this is the perfect, simple dessert for your sweetie. I can never figure out what to give Dave for any gift-giving occasion, but he’s always thrilled with a dessert; that’s his gift every year. Sometimes I ask him what he wants and he tells me. Other times, he says, “Surprise me.” This was a surprise. I let him cut a piece after lunch; it’s his tart. Ok, this could go a few ways; let’s not go there.
If you’re interested in what kind of wine to have for Valentine’s Day, read this from the Wall Street Journal.
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| Add a little raspberry sorbet |
Strawberry Hazelnut Shortbread Tart serves 6-8
Original Recipe from THE SPLENDID TABLE’S HOW TO EAT SUPPER by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift; I’ve changed several things to suit my pantry.
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| Tucker just a year ago. |
Happy Valentine’s Day,
Alyce
Merry Christmas, Friends, Family and other Loved Ones
A promise is a promise and here are two more of the cookies from the tray:
These cookies are at the right of the tray and are both shortbread cookies made from the same recipe, but finished differently. The recipe is Eli Zabar’s (NYC) and I took it straight from Ina Garten. Just the end results are totally different. And while these are not terribly innovative, they are terribly delicious. Addictive, in fact. Go ahead; you still have time to bake. No? How about for New Year’s? Truthfully, the 12 days of Christmas haven’t even begun yet. Get out those trays and crank up that oven. Take a batch to a neighbor you wish you knew better or run up to the local church for services tonight and give a batch to one of the musicians. Like me. I’m working tonight.
Shortbread Cookies from Eli Zabar via Ina Garten and Alyce Morgan
3/4# soft unsalted butter
1 c white sugar
1 t vanilla extract
3 1/2 c unbleached flour
1/4 t salt (no salt if you used salted butter)
For sandwich cookies: 3/4 c seedless raspberry jam and 1T Cointreau
For chocolate dips: 3-6 oz Valrhona Chocolate melted*; 1T coarse sea salt
Instructions:
Mix together together the butter and the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until just combined. Add vanilla. Sift the flour and salt and add it to the butter an d sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and shape into a flat disc. Refrigerate, tightly wrapped, for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Roll dough out 1/4″ thick on a floured surface and cut with 1 1/2- 2″ fluted cookie/biscuit cutter. Bake on an ungreased sheet for about 10 minutes–until edges show the faintest signs of gold. Let cool to room temperature.
For Raspberry Shortbread Sandwiches:
Mix jam with Cointreau and heat briefly; stir well. Turn cookies flat side up and, holding one, place about 1/2 t jam mixture on it. Place another cookie, flat side down into the jam mixture and press together lightly. Place cookies on racks as you finish them. When all are done, dust with confectioner’s sugar shaken from the shaker or through a small strainer/sieve.
For Valrhona Chocolate Shortbreads:
Chop or grate chocolate into a small sauce pan. Place sauce pan over another with an inch or so of simmering water. Let chocolate melt slowly. When melted, take each cookie and dip halfway. Place each dipped cookie onto a wax paper lined tray to dry. Place a piece or two of sea salt, if desired, on the chocolate side before the chocolate dries.
*Depending on how much of the dough you commit to the chocolate variation.
Store these cookies in tight containers after they are very dry. Place wax paper between layers.
Merry, Merry Christmas and may all your New Year’s dreams come true,
Alyce