Something for those January Blues…

Happy New Year!

Its been a busy festive period here at Always So Hungry with travels down to Devon for Christmas via a short stint in Somerset then back up to London and onto Scotland for a New Years Eve wedding and finally back down to London for my start at Leiths.  Can I have a holiday now, please?

Having said that, I had a wonderful few weeks not least because I got to experience my first Hogmanay.  Those Scots sure know how to put on a decent do.

As a little hat tip, I’d like to present a twist on their classic shortbread.  This foolproof recipe has been adapted to add a little flavoursome zing.  I’m not entirely sure what they’d make of it north of the border, but I thought it worked out rather well.  Adjust the flavours to your liking.

Lemongrass and coconut shortbread
(adapted from Leiths Cookery Bible)

You will need:

110g unsalted butter, softened
55g caster sugar + a little extra
110 g plain flour
55 g ground rice/ rice flour
1 lemongrass stems, very finely chopped
1/2 tsp coconut essence (optional)
100 g dessicated coconut

Method:

1.  Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C.

2.  Combine the butter, sugar, lemongrass, essence (if using) and 50 g of the coconut in a large bowl. 

3.  Sift the flours into the bowl and work into a smooth paste.

4.  Use a 15cm flan ring onto a lined baking sheet to press half the shortbread paste into a neat circle.  Repeat with the other half of the paste.  Crimp the edges and mark into a 6-8 wedges.  Prick with a fork.  Chill until firm. 

5. Sprinkle the shortbread with a little extra caster sugar and coconut and bake for about 20 minutes until it is a pale biscuit colour.

6.  Run a palate knife underneath the shortbread to release.  Cool for 5 minutes before breaking into wedges.   Alternatively, you can use a glass or round biscuit cutter to make round shortbread.  Prick with a fork and crimp the edges, before rolling the sides in a little of the coconut and baking. 

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