Old ways

Passport & Plate - Opa's Shortbread

Netherlands | Thursday, March 5, 2015 | 4 photos

Ingredients
100g raw caster sugar plus 1 tbs extra raw sugar
200g cooking butter, softened so it's malleable and cut into 2cm cubes
150g Plain Flour
150g Self Raising Flour

Optional but recommended:
Zest of a lemon
1 tsp ground cinnamon

This recipe is simply, 1,2,3

 

How to prepare this recipe
This recipe works best by hand so roll your sleeves up and have some fun!

1. Measure out all the ingredients and put them together in a mixing bowl
2. Mix all ingredients with your hands, making sure to mix in butter thoroughly , this can be done in a grabbing motion, the end result should look like small clumps that stick together when you pinch the mixture
3. Turn out mixture onto a sheet of baking paper and slowly form into a log shape about 4-5cm diameter
4. Cut the log vertically at approximately 1cm intervals and lay the cut biscuits on a baking tray lined with more baking paper
5. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar on each biscuit and press down slightly with a fork
6. Bake for 15-18 mins at 180 deg Celsius until slightly golden
7. Cool on a baking tray

Enjoy!

When trying to decide on a recipe, immediately one sprung to mind , shortly after it was discarded as maybe it was too simple, should I show some more technique, a bit more chefy. After pondering on it, I decided this was what I was going with, the smells, the flavours and the emotion holds true to me and sometimes, seemingly the most simple things are the best; let me set the scene:

 

The story behind this recipe
It's Sunday. Mum, dad and sister pile into the car and head off on what seems like a long drive, we pull into a small street bound by a park. Out we tumble, up three old steps and there, already I can feel it, smell it, taste it. A ritual for as long as I can remember. The musty smell of stale rolly cigarettes, ancient furniture, broken only by warm air thick with the sweet smell of cinnamon, sugar, flour and butter wafting from the kitchen at the rear. Fumbling through the kitchen, careful not to knock pots from the old gas stove, out the back door that screeched and slammed as we ran to play among the lemon trees. Already ripe, fallen and covering the grass like a yellow carpet, grabbing a basket we played, holding up the fruit to our noses, breathing in discovering the slightly acidic, oddly alluring aroma. Proud of of our hoard, we dropped the basket in the hall skipping to the lounge. Kind knowing eyes hooded by bushy grey eyebrows watched us from the old rocking chair.
'Come and give Opa a hug' mum remarked, we bounded into Opas open arms fighting for space as the chair creaked in protest. Opa smiled whilst saying something in a deep, guttural, Dutch accent and motioning to the wooden coffee table where freshly baked Dutch shortbread cookies lay on a glass plate. This was a favourite part of our visit, sampling the consistent crumbly, sweet but also salty and slightly spiced biscuit with course grains of sugar carefully sprinkled on top.A few years off 100 Opa passed away and our visits ceased. He had been making treats for family and guests until the day he died. Years later I decided that someone should continue the tradition of making these special treats. Now when I run my closed door restaurant, Forage Sydney, part time as my day job is Recruitment, I serve these as a surprise for my guests, telling the story of my Dutch pastry chef Opa who will be etched in my memory as someone who helped build the passion for food that burns both in my heart and soul.