Tag: tuesday treat

Tuesday Treat

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Shortbread Biscuits with Elderflower Buttercream

(The Best Shortbread ‘Ever’ – and it’s gluten-free!)

I first tasted this shortbread when I stayed at Nathan Outlaw’s guest house in Port Isaac (review here!). Outlaw’s is very much a family affair and Nathan’s daughter, Jessie, bakes the most wonderful afternoon tea treats for the guests. During our stay she baked these, they’re the lightest shortbread biscuits I’ve ever tasted – and they’re gluten-free! When I returned home armed with the recipe, I knew I would have to pass it on to you!.. You can of course enjoy them without the elderflower buttercream but you really should try them with it at some point as they are even more delicious! Apparently Jessie found the recipe for the shortbread in ‘Baked to Perfection’ by Katarina Cermelj whilst the buttercream was her own (inspired) addition!

Shortbread:

150g unsalted butter, softened

75g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

255g gluten-free plain flour (I use Dove’s)

60g cornflour

¾ teaspoon xanthan gum

½ teaspoon salt

Elderflower Buttercream:

150g unsalted butter, softened

170g icing sugar

40g elderflower cordial

  1. In a bowl, use a wooden spoon to mix together the butter, sugar and vanilla paste until smooth.
  2. Sift in the gluten-free plain flour, cornflour, xanthan gum and salt. Mix with the spoon and then knead by hand until the dough forms a ball (don’t worry if it seems very crumbly at first as it will suddenly come together!)
  3. Compress the dough into a disc between two sheets of clingfilm and then roll out until about 1cm thick.
  4. Use a 5cm round biscuit cutter to cut out the shortbread , prick each biscuit with a fork and sprinkle with caster sugar then place on a baking tray. Any leftover dough can be re-rolled and cut, until used up.
  5. Bake in a preheated oven, 160’c fan, for 20-22 minutes until very light golden around the edges. Allow to cool on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
  6. To make the elderflower buttercream simply cream together the butter, icing sugar and elderflower cordial until pale and fluffy.
  7. To serve, sandwich two shortbread biscuits together with a generous spread of buttercream – delicious!

Tuesday Treat

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Rhubarb Almond Pudding

I adore the tart flavour of rhubarb, so much so that as soon as I see it in the shops – either the forced variety which is available at the beginning of the year or the field grown from April to September – I’m keen to find a recipe to enjoy it with. This is one of those recipes which fits the bill perfectly. It’s simple and easy to throw together, even on a weekday evening, and gives instant pleasure. It’s not a particularly refined dessert; it’s quite a heavy, almost ‘stodgy’ pudding but the wonderful flavour of the rhubarb makes it an all-round pleaser. The recipe is from Donna Hay’s cookbook, ‘One Pan Perfect’ – and it absolutely is!

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon rosewater

360ml buttermilk

1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind

300g ground almonds

2 tablespoons cornflour

165g unrefined caster sugar, plus extra

3 – 5 stalks rhubarb (depending on the size), halved and trimmed to fit the dish

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

  1. Place the eggs, vanilla, rosewater, buttermilk and orange rind into a jug and whisk together.
  2. Place the ground almonds, cornflour and sugar into a bowl and stir. Then add the buttermilk mixture and mix to combine.
  3. Pour the mixture into a deep 25cm round baking dish (capacity 1.5 litres). Top with the rhubarb then brush well with the maple syrup and sprinkle with a little extra sugar.
  4. Bake in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 40 minutes or until firm and the rhubarb is soft. Serve with double cream or fresh custard!