The things I like most about recipes and cook books are the pictures and the ingredients. I know I should follow the recipe or it wont resemble what the picture looks like but I tend to rebel and as it's my kitchen then I will do just that!
The other day I was looking at recipe books and by looking at them I mean I was looking at them on the shelf whilst I was sitting on the chair, amazingly one book called to me and before I knew it I was in baking mode loosely following a really easy to follow recipe for Teisennau Berffro or Anglesey Shortbread taken from Gilli Davies' pocket sized Flavours of Wales. I bought the book at Caerphilly Castle on our way back from Anglesey so when I make the shortbread I imagine I am in Sarah's kitchen, standing by the aga waiting for the biscuits to be ready!
The recipe suggests making the shortbread into shell shapes but you know me and my recipe rebellion so I didn't! It is quite honestly a very simple recipe to follow but I have of course made it long winded with my goings on, which is why I will never have a telly series but I would really like one and I would call it something like Nellie's Nibbles. Not! No I would call it Comfort Eating : How to cook and eat well and still find your clothes comfortable. I have given it some thought.
Rub 175g of butter in with 225g of flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs (this is when the DPD guy arrived and I greeted him looking like a flour yeti but he smiled politely and handed over a parcel for Mook, then I made a cup of coffee and got back to the breadcrumbing process!). Then stir in 100g of sugar, pressing it all together until it makes a smooth, pliable paste (unless you go and see why the dog is barking and get distracted in which case you need to add water to it), roll out onto a floured board and cut into 2" circles (or use a shape cutter, I used a small one and made lots - and ate lots too but that's another story). Pop in the heated (180 degrees) oven for 10 minutes, but as they were so small I nipped them in for about 5 minutes.
This is where I get clever and I set the pinger for 5 minutes. Is it a pinger, a timer or an alarm? I haven't given it much thought but whatever you call yours I set mine for 5 minutes. Anyway I took them out after 5 minutes and duly tasted them. Them. Yes them. Plural. They were delicious as you would expect. Not that I am being vain or conceited but they were, because shortbread is delicious and this was especially so.
They were so delicious that I made some more this morning when Heather and her children were over and of course everyone sneaked a fair few, which means I will have to make some more. Maybe some mad March hares for my birthday?
Happy days!
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