Butter is key to perfection of Scottish treat
Eighteenth-century Scottish poet Robert Burns made literary history for his ode to haggis — officially called "Address to a Haggis" — but American food writer Rose Levy Beranbaum waxes poetic about a more charming Scottish delicacy: shortbread.
"If there could be but one cookie in all the world, this would be it for me, perhaps because there really is perfection in simplicity," she writes in "Rose's Christmas Cookies" (William Morrow & Co., $28).
Most of us grew up knowing shortbread in the form of packaged Lorna Doone cookies, a good starting point, but far from the real thing. Nabisco Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookies lack the most important ingredient in authentic Scottish shortbread, which is butter. Lots of it.
Walkers Pure Butter Shortbread, baked and packaged in the secluded village of Aberlour, Speyside, in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, has the correct formula. Its ingredients are simplicity itself: wheat flour, butter, sugar and salt. The cookies are widely available in American supermarkets, perfect for an impromptu afternoon tea or kaffeeklatsch — tartans optional.
Susan Thomson, a native of Struan, a small village in North Perthshire, Scotland, knows her shortbread recipe by heart. The Shadyside resident, a former caterer, will be making the cookies and traditional scones — Scotland's national quick bread — to treat participants at Shadyside Presbyterian Church's annual "Celebration of Robert Burns' Birthday" on Friday.
"It's actually a very simple recipe: 6 ounces flour, 4 ounces butter, 2 ounces sugar," she says, adding that her grandmother taught her how to make sublime shortbread.
Just one problem — how do ounces translate into cups⢠"The best way to do it is to weigh the ingredients. One time we tried to measure the ingredients into cups, but we didn't have much luck. The measurements came out different each time," says Thomson, a volunteer with the British-American Business Council-Pittsburgh Region, which supports U.S.-Scottish trade.
Professional pastry chefs measure baking ingredients by weight, as do most European home cooks. Dry ingredients are affected by humidity, heat and other atmospheric conditions, and weighing ensures correct proportions for a product's success.
American home cooks, however, are used to measuring by cups and spoons and rarely have a food scale standing by in the pantry. That's why making simple shortbread according to U.S. measuring standards can be tricky. Too much flour, and the cookie will be tough. Too little flour, and the cookie will crumble like sand.
If the butter is too cold, you'll have trouble working in the flour, whether making it by hand or a mixer. If it's too soft, you'll get a sweet butter spread instead of a dough — and when it's baked, it's best used to build sand castles.
Once you get the hang of shortbread dough, however, the possibilities are endless — you can add flavorings, citrus peel, nuts, crystallized ginger or chocolate to create a signature cookie.
Traditional shortbread is baked in a shallow round tin — a cake pan or tart pan will do.
"You press in the dough, and flute the edge," Thomson says. "Always remember to prick the surface, otherwise the steam won't come out.
"Five minutes before it is done, you sprinkle it with sugar. When it comes out of the oven, you cut it into triangles."
Ready to bake⢠Buy the best butter — unsalted variety — you can afford. All-purpose flours such as Gold Medal, King Arthur or Pillsbury work fine. The Scots often blend rice flour into all-purpose flour, but Thomson says it is not necessary.
Elaborate cookie presses and molds turn humble shortbread into works of art. They are available at cookware stores and at candymaking and cake-decorating shops. They also can be ordered over the Internet.
Note: If you are using a cookie mold, follow the oven temperature and baking time recommended by the manufacturer.
Scottish Shortbread
From "Rose's Christmas Cookies" by Rose Levy Beranbaum. "In order to avoid temptation," she writes, "I like to store these cookies in the freezer and take out just one to put in the oven with the pilot light while brewing my afternoon coffee. By the time the cup is brewed, the cookie is no longer cold — just right."
To measure the confectioners' sugar, spoon it lightly into the measuring cup; for the flour, use the dip and sweep method. If using the electric mixer or hand method, Beranbaum recommends superfine sugar.
- 1 1/4 cups cold unsalted butter (10 ounces)
- 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar (1 ounce)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (1 3/4 ounces)
- 2 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
Food processor method: Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes, wrap it and refrigerate.
In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the sugars for 1 minute or so, until the sugars are very fine. Add the butter and pulse until the sugar disappears. Add the flour and pulse until there are a lot of moist, crumbly little pieces and no dry flour particles remain.
Dump the mixture into a plastic food storage bag and press it together. Remove the dough from the bag and knead it lightly until it holds together.
Electric mixer or by hand: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. Using your fingers or the electric mixer, mix in the flour until the mixture holds together, adding the flour in 2 parts if using the mixer.
For the cookies: Place 2 oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Heat the oven to 275 degrees.
Measure 2 level teaspoons or 1 scant tablespoon of the dough and knead each piece by flattening it between your palms and then rolling it into a 1-inch ball. (This keeps it from cracking around the edges when pressed flat.)
Place each ball on the cookie sheet, flattening it with a cookie press, fork or the bottom of a tumbler, lightly moistened with water. Leave about 1 inch between flattened cookies.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until pale golden (do not brown). For even baking, rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking period.
Use a small, angled metal spatula or pancake turner to transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Wedge-shaped shortbread: Decrease the butter to 1 cup (2 sticks). Divide in half. Pat each half into an ungreased 8-inch round cake pan. Use the tines of a fork to press 3/4-inch lines radiating like rays of the sun all around the perimeter of the dough.
Prick the rest of the dough all over with the tines of the fork. This keeps the shortbread even and creates the traditional design.
Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until pale golden (do not brown). Rotate the pans for even baking (as previously directed).
Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the shortbread onto a flat cookie sheet and slide it onto a cutting board. While it still is warm, use a long sharp knife to cut each 8-inch round into 8 pie-shaped wedges. Transfer the wedges to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes 4 dozen cookies or 16 wedges.
Chocolate Shortbread
From Brown Bag Cookie Art, a manufacturer of cookie-making supplies, including molds and stamps. For information on their products, visit the Web site, www.cookieartexchange.com.
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup unsifted confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 1 cup unsifted flour
Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
Cream the butter. Cream in the cocoa, confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Work in the flour. Knead the dough on an unfloured board until smooth.
Shape, press or cut the dough as desired and place on ungreased cookie sheets, or firmly press into a shortbread mold. Prick the entire surface with a fork and bake individual cookies for about 20 minutes, the molded cookie for 30 to 35 minutes. Don't let the edges get too dark.
If using a mold, let the shortbread cool in its pan for about 10 minutes before you loosen the edges with a knife. Flip the mold over onto a wooden cutting board. If the shortbread does not come right out, tap one edge of the pan.
Cut the shortbread into serving pieces while it still is warm.
Variations:
Lemon: Omit the cocoa and vanilla and add 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel.
Coconut: Omit the cocoa. Decrease the confectioners' sugar to 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut (chopped).
Pine Nut-Brown Sugar Shortbread
This is my favorite shortbread cookie recipe, adapted from one in a food magazine to include the mesmerizing flavors of nutmeg and cardamaom.
- 1 stick ( 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar, plus extra for dusting
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream the butter with the 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar and the brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and salt until crumbly but well blended.
Press the dough evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom (or a regular cake pan). Lightly score the edge with the tines of a fork and press the pine nuts all over the center of the dough.
Bake the shortbread for about 35 minutes, until nicely browned and fairly firm. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
While still warm, carefully score into 12 to 16 wedges. Let cool in the pan completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.
Yvonne's Shortbread
Yvonne Martin, a native of Scotland, and her Canadian husband, Ian, are proprietors of the White Oak Inn bed and breakfast in Danville, Ohio. This recipe is from her cookbook, "Cinnamon Mornings, Chocolate Nights" (Morris Press, $17.75). The rice flour you use should not be finely ground because it can cause the dough to become pasty.
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Additional granulated sugar or colored sugar for decorating
Sift the flours with the salt. Cream the butter well, gradually beating in the 1 cup granulated sugar. Blend the flour mixture into the butter mixture.
Pat the dough onto a 17- by 11- by 1-inch baking sheet. Sprinkle the top with granulated or colored sugar. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Heat the oven to 275 degrees. Bake for about 40 minutes or until faintly brown. Cut into squares in the pan while warm. Let cool before removing from the pan.
| Burns birthday celebrations |
Scotsman Robert Burns (1759-1796) is hailed as that country's best-loved poet. In memory of the "ploughman bard's" life, works and spirit — he wrote "Auld Lang Syne," "To a Mouse," "Oh my luve's like a red, red rose" and "Address to a Haggis" — the people of Scotland will celebrate Burns' birthday on Saturday with rituals called Burns Suppers, which are participatory events.
According to www.rabbie-burns.com , a Web site devoted to the poet, a typical menu might be cock-a-leekie soup (leek with chicken); haggis with a side of mashed potatoes; sherry trifle and coffee.
Haggis is a savory pudding, a mixture of sheep's liver, heart and lung; mutton; lamb suet; onions; and coarse rolled oats. The pudding is boiled and presented at the table in a sheep's stomach.
The haggis is presented to diners by the chef while a piper plays and guests clap their hands slowly. "Address to a Haggis" is recited enthusiastically by an honored guest chosen as "master of the haggis," then he opens up the pudding with a sharp knife. The haggis ceremony is toasted with the land's legendary Scotch whisky.
In addition to the trifle, diners often munch on traditional scones and shortbread for dessert.
Two local organizations are sponsoring Robert Burns birthday celebrations this week. The bard would have been 244 years old.
