Jean’s Kitchen – Jean Doherty

Shortbread is a classic Scottish dessert that consists of three basic ingredients: flour, sugar and butter. This dessert resulted from a medieval biscuit bread, which was a twice-baked, enriched bread roll dusted with sugar and spices and hardened into a hard, dry, sweetened biscuit called a Rusk. Eventually, yeast from the original Rusk recipe was replaced by butter, which was becoming more of a staple in the British Isles.

Despite the fact that shortbread was prepared during much of the 12th century, the refinement of shortbread was actually accredited to Mary, Queen of Scots, in the 16th century. The name of one of the most traditional forms of shortbread is “petticoat tails”; this type of shortbread was baked in a round tin and then cut into triangular wedges.

Shortbread was expensive and reserved as a luxury for special occasions such as Christmas, Hogmanay (Scottish New Year’s Eve) and weddings. In Shetland, it is traditional to break a decorated shortbread cake over the head of a new bride on the entrance of her new house.
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups salted butter
• 3 and more cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cream the butter and brown sugar. Add 3 cups of flour. Mix well. You can do this in a mixer if you like.

Sprinkle board with more flour. Knead dough for a few minutes, adding enough flour to make soft dough. Roll to a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into strips and place on ungreased baking sheets or plop into a pan and press flat, you are the chef. Prick with fork any which way you do it.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Remember, you are the chef!

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641