This is a
really nice tasting shortbread. It has a sandy texture and subtle almond
flavor which comes from using three different types of flour; all purpose, rice,
and almond flour (meal). We use a
tart pan to bake the shortbread so we can cut the round into wedge-shape pieces
after baking. These wedge-shaped shortbreads are also known as "petticoat
tails", named after the bell-hoop petticoats worn by court ladies in the 12th
century. Now, there is the problem of the tips of the shortbreads breaking
off.
Dorothy Hartley in her lovely book "Food in England" tells us that
"Every cook knows how the pointed ends of cut cakes and biscuits break off - so,
after several centuries of broken tips, someone evolved the cure: they cut a
circle out of the centre before baking......". If you like you can follow
Dorothy Hartley's advice and cut out the center before baking, or, I like to
think of those pieces left in the pan after baking as the 'cook's treat'.
If you are not familiar with almond flour (meal), it is
made from very finely ground blanched almonds. You can buy it at some
grocery stores, health food stores and specialty food stores or it can be
ordered online at
www.bakerscatalogue.com . However, if you cannot find it anywhere, the
alternative is to make your own. To do this simply ground 1 cup (100 grams)
sliced (blanched (skins off) or natural (skins on)) almonds with 1 tablespoon
(14 grams) granulated white sugar in a blender or food processor. You need
to add a little sugar or
flour to the almonds when ground to prevent clumping as the sugar or flour
absorbs the oil exuded from the almonds. The other ingredient in this shortbread recipe that you may not be familiar with is rice
flour.
Rice flour is a fine
gluten-free flour produced from white or brown rice. If possible, I like to use brown rice flour. It can be found
in some grocery stores or else health food stores or, again, it can be
ordered online at
www.bakerscatalogue.com . If you cannot find it just substitute
regular cornstarch (corn flour) for the rice flour.
Almond Shortbreads: Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) with the rack in
the middle of the oven. Have ready a 8 inch (20 cm) tart pan with a
removable bottom.
In the bowl of your electric mixer cream the butter and sugar
until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract.
In a separate
bowl whisk together the flours (all purpose, almond, and rice) and salt. Add
this mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and beat just until incorporated.
Press the
shortbread dough evenly into the tart pan. Prick the surface of the
shortbread with a fork to prevent the shortbread from puffing up.
Using a sharp knife,
score (make shallow lines)
the top of the shortbread into 12 even pieces. Gently press the
flaked almonds in a decorative pattern on the top of the shortbread.
Place in
preheated oven and bake until it is nicely browned (biscuit color), about 45-55 minutes. Transfer
shortbread to rack and cool for five minutes before removing from tart pan. Place
the shortbread round on a cutting board and cut into 12
wedges (along the lines
scored). Cool completely on a wire rack.
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