Bette D. points out that when the group requested candy outfits for Valentine's Day, she actually said candy MAKING outfit, and that's why she got the special cook's hair-covering kerchief. Now she tells me.
So BD is now the chef of the household, with special attention to baked goods. She took this on this morning when, in a fit of energy, I decided, after thinking about it for maybe fifteen years, to bake shortbread. The thing is that once in a while I like to have a guest to tea, little cake things, choice of tea, etc., and it's nice to make the stuff myself. That way I enjoy the party twice.
BD pointed out bitterly that I would do better if I focused and didn't get all listening to The Car Guys, that way I would have noticed before I tipped the sugar in with the flour, then went for the butter softening in the microwave, that the sugar and butter were to be creamed before meeting up with the flour. Oh. So I soldiered on, as my mom would have said, all good ingredients, and added in a bunch of crushed walnuts, since I do like texture in baked goods. And will put a dab of lemon glaze on top after the shortbread has cooled. Now, it may well be quite, um, sturdy, but I suspect still quite edible.
BD has some doubts, as you see.
Sounds delicious and what would BD know anyway? She is a mere apprentice. I can almost smell it. Yesterday must have been the day for baking. I had a baking day too - chocolate cake and sickeningly sweet fudge. A pity we can't get our baked goodies together for that cuppa.
ReplyDeleteI would call that a pan of bars, rather than shortbread. Pans of bars are big in Minnesota. "I don't know what to bring. Maybe I'll make some bars." Bars are everything from soft to hard, sweet to sickeningly so, layered or not, frosted or iced or plain.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, you make something delicious-looking like that and serve it to me, you can call it anything you darned well please.
I'm worried about your apprentice's lack of apron. I feel like she needs a pinny to keep that pretty fabric fresh. Or perhaps it's just me that's such a slob when I cook.
Here in the great white north, shortbread is just called shortbread, whereas the "bars" (ala Ari comment above) are known as "squares". I don't know why, since they're usually a rectangle.
ReplyDeleteAnd there you have my home schooling for the day.
Baking is always better the second time around. Mm some almond, cranberry shortcakes would be lovely I think.
ReplyDeleteHave BD get right on it!
I have a shortbread pan, square in shape with a pattern on the bottom for decorative shortbread when the end product is inverted. Always wanted a shortbread pan. Intended to use it this past Christmas but never got around to it. Shortbread can be baked in a pan, cut while still warm, or dough rolled out, cutters used to make shapes, or rolled into a ball, flattened slightly and decorated. All the same in the end, all goes down the cakehole and settles on the hips. Personally, I enjoy everybody's baking. Your shortbread looks and sounds delish, Boud - J in Cowtown
ReplyDeleteYum! I do love me some shortbread, so can I come over for a nibble and a cuppa? Sometimes I think those that write the recipes are altogether too upper-crust for us mere mortals and where is it cast in stone that things have to added in a specific order anyway? Good ingredients = good eats (at least that's my philosophy and I'm stickin' to it).
ReplyDelete