Happy Veterans Day to all… and heartfelt thanks!
Happy Veterans Day
feeling rebellious, then eat this
Scottish MacPhae Short bread , the original tax rebel’s treat
THE STORY
The story of Scottish Shortbread is one that takes it’s name – in part—to a rebellion against the English habit of ‘taxing’ biscuits or cookies. Bread wasn’t taxed, so it became a ‘bread’ and the word ‘short’ noted that butter was both a key ingredient and the primary flavoring. The original was probably made of oat flour as it was inexpensive and many thought it was only fit for livestock.
RECIPES
You can read about short bread recipes far and wide, but all of them contain three primary ingredients: flour, sugar and butter! In addition, you will find discussions regarding the virtue of high fat European butters vs. its less stout American cousin; but this is mostly posturing. Personally, I’ll buy an Irish butter or the American ‘Challenge Dairies’ of the West Coast. The historical recipe ratio of flour –butter – sugar is 3-2-1, most likely measured in pounds and I would interpret the original recipe as:
3 ½ cups of flour ( I use bread flour)
1 lb butter ( 4 cubes)
1 cup sugar (confectioners)
325 F for 45 minutes or until slightly brown
The texture of the short bread is very much a point of discussion and the process of blending the ingredients is varied. Purest stay strictly to the three ingredients, while those who want to have a more ‘crumbly’ shortbread add rice flour and those who want a denser cookie will add cornstarch; both are yummy. Some recipes, even some very old recipes, call for eggs and salt.
Regarding sugar, the traditional is a granulated white sugar, but there are recipes including: brown sugar or confectioner’s sugar. Some will add almond or vanilla flavorings and the toppings may include things like: nuts, icing, sesame seeds or even coconut.
Cooking temperature is low with much time in the oven at 275-350 degrees ranging from 15 – 45 minutes depending on the thickness of the product. Shortbread is supposed to be white or slightly brown.
The MacPhae Short Bread
As we have discussed, short bread was named for a rebellion against the English ‘tax’ on biscuits. The book of Scottish Clans tell of the MacPhaes as a small but fierce family… and so the MacPhae shortbread must be the most rebellious of them all!
“Sooo, what ya gonna do now ,laddie? eat somethin!”
‘rockmelt’ not your 20th century web browser
Our family — including me — loves new things that stimulate thought… and are FUN! The RockMelt browser seems like an answer to a highly fractured web with a one-stop-shop approach that seems intriguing.
The really funny thing is that this has been publicised for 18 hours and I thought I might have beaten Karen out with the news… but I just checked her blog and there it is!!
cooking is easy when you have an adequate freezer(s)
When laura and I were first married, we enjoyed many wonderful recipes that were originally designed for more that two people. Probably the most notorious among home cooks is the ‘Epicurean’ (circa 1900) whose smallest recipe serves 32. None of this matters if you have a freezer(s). In our earlier days, we would fix up a recipe and place the ‘left overs’ in containers that could be placed in the oven to serve 2. It was a wonderful system as we would bake and cook on the weekends and have the convenience of choosing whatever we wanted during the week.
Our system has evolved to the point that I only have a refrigerator in the kitchen and access to three freezers. One freezer continas much of what you might find in a typical freezer and then some, one freezer holds our Jenny Craig meals when we indulge too much, and one freezer holds ready to enjoy meals from past good times.
In an age when cooking is being rediscovered by so many ‘non-cooking’ folks… having a place to store what is left over economically should not be an excuse…. if you buy a freezer ( some as low as $150).
So, cook today… and enjoy it again on another day!
great butcher shop in the village of arroyo grande
There is a little butcher shop in the Village of Arroyo Grande, California with the grand name of Arroyo Grande Meat Company! If you are drving up the coast of central California it is worth a stop… they even make sandwiches.
I’ve been shopping here when I really need a quality piece of meat and their sausages are superb… or did you already notice that? From making their own corned beef to marinating tri tips ( in beer among other things) there is something for any carnivore. Although I have been coming here for around 30 years or so, there is something I always learn or discover. Yesterday, I asked if he had any rabbit… and he said they always keep a case or two in the back! Outstanding!
The meat under the hat above is a special marinated tri-tip that I further amend for a wonderful stroganoff.
bon appetite!
Roger