Salty Lemon Shortbread

Preserved, salty lemons in biscuits?  "Are you mad?"  You may well ask, as many people have done before (hehehe).  I have a couple of homemade jars of them in my fridge, made with organic lemons from our friends' Hobart garden.  Happily for us, they often bring some up with them when they visit.    

This is from Alison Roman's Sweet Enough; she is a New York-based cook and author of several cookbooks.  And yes, I made this for Cookbook Club!  Apparently, preserved lemons and anchovies (not necessarily together) are her fave little pops of flavour.  So she had to add them here, as they give "a jammy, floral, salty bop of flavour".  And yes it does, my friends. 

It is currently 36C/97F this afternoon as I am making this.  Thank heavens for air conditioning!  We are expecting a cyclone this week up North, so we might feel the after-effects here in Brisbane, too.  I just went for a quick walk as the sun is going down, and the temperature has dropped a bit.  Phew, still hard work heading up that hill!  My neighbour and I waved at each other from opposite sides of the road.  We seem to walk at the same time every day! 

can you see the cat's head?  (under the flowers) Photos courtesy Pia B.

This is Dolce, our neighbour's deaf, white cat!

She knows how to keep cool.  Jump into a metallic bowl that will be nice and cool from sitting in air con all day!  If only I could find myself a big enough bowl :=)

  

Makes 24 (at least; I made 33 wee bars)

ingredients:

zest of 3 lemons - place zest of one lemon into a small bowl, and the zest of the other two into another bowl

55g./2 oz caster sugar plus 165g./6 oz caster sugar

a hearty pinch of sea salt flakes

280g./10 oz butter (unsalted if you wish)

30g./1 big oz icing sugar (powdered sugar)

1/2 preserved lemon, without the seeds, and finely chopped

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

325g./11.5 oz plain flour

Method:

On goes your oven to 180C/350F, and line a baking tray with baking paper   see Notes

Take the small bowl of lemon zest, and add the 55g. of sugar and a good pinch of salt

Rub it all together with your fingers till the sugar is slightly yellow and smells fabulously lemony

Grab yourself a cake batter bowl (medium-large mixing bowl) and beat up the butter, icing sugar, the larger amount (165g.) of sugar, the zest of the 2 lemons, preserved lemon, salt and vanilla till very light and fluffy - about 3-5 minutes  see Notes

Slowly beat in the flour, till just blended (use a spatula to scrape down the sides now and then)

Now you are going to spoon/tip the dough into the lined baking tray, and pat it down with the bottom of a glass, or your gloved palm so you have a nicely even layer of shortbread

Then you grab a fork and give it a good pricking all over the top (why? Dunno!), then sprinkle the lemony sugar over the dough, pressing it into the surface

Shove into the oven for 30-35 minutes; you want the dough to be nicely browned on the top, bottom and edges, firm to the touch (but slightly malleable, says Alison)

Leave to rest for a few minutes, then take the shortbread out of the tray, lifting it with the baking paper

Cut into the shapes and sizes of your desire (Alison suggests 7.5cm/3 inch pieces), or 2.5cm/1 inch wedges if baked in the cake tins

Leave it cool completely (Alison says they are better the next day.  Yep, that's right.)

I think a nice, very lemony icing would go well here too!  You could make up some icing sugar and lemon juice, and let it drip all over your shortbreads

Notes:

Use a 23cm x 33cm (9 in x 13 inch) tray or two x 23cm/9 inch cake tins

You can use electric hand beaters, or whizz it up in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment

ingredients gathered

rub the zest into the sugar

look at that lovely salty lemon!

gently add in the flour till just mixed

press the dough into the baking tin, and scatter over the lemon/sugar mix

beautifully brown

hoe in!

Joining in with Min from Writes in the Middle blog linkup. #WWWhimsy

c. Sherry M.