Sunday, March 15, 2015

Vanilla Bean Petticoat Tails Shortbread


This rather dainty looking Shortbread is called Petticoat Tails Shortbread, a large disc of shortbread with a decorated edge and cut into elegant triangles. The texture is rich and buttery with a distinct vanilla flavor. It is not too sweet and has the most delightful pale yellow hue from the cornmeal that is used for making the dough. Let us not forget that it is ideal for sharing and perfect to compliment tea, whether you enjoy black, green or herbal tea.




The Petticoat Tails Shortbread is said to gain its distinctive shape and name by resembling the pieces of fabric used to create the elaborate petticoats of the 12th century – including that of Mary Queen of Scots. Other sources suggest that the name could derive from the French petits cotés, a type of pointed biscuit that was eaten dipped in sweet wine, or the old French term for little cakes, petites gastelles. Personally, I prefer the more romantic idea of the petticoats and the lacy fabric they were made of.

Whatever the real source of the name, they are definitely a perennial favorite and Mary, Queen of Scots was reputed to have been particularly fond of these buttery cookies.




The Petticoat Tails Shortbread is very easy to make. I decided to add a nice dose of pure vanilla flavor to the dough. To give your shortbread that extra bit of wonderful flavor, you can either use the scraped seeds of a vanilla bean or you use that wonderful vanilla bean paste – it works equally well. Other than that, all you need is caster sugar, real good quality butter (use either unsalted or salted butter. If you chose to use salted butter, then you have to skip the salt in the dough) and flour (I like to use white spelt flour for these but you can use regular wheat flour). All that is left to do after making the easy dough is to roll it out, trim it and shape it. The only other important thing to remember is to make sure that once the dough is cut and shaped, it should be chilled for about thirty minutes before you bake it, that way, it will keep its distincive pattern and shape.




Having made this Shortbread more times than I care to remember, I know that the shaped dough can easily be kept in the fridge for a day or two – just make sure to cover it well with cling wrap. Then, it can be baked fresh on the day you plan to serve it – pretty convenient if you ask me.




Vanilla Bean Petticoat Tails Shortbread

Ingredients
  • 250 grams really good quality unsalted butter, softened (OR use salted butter, then skip the additonal salt)
  • 100 grams caster (superfine baking) sugar
  • scraped seeds from a vanilla bean from Madagascar or Hawaii, if possible
    (keep the pod for making vanilla sugar*) OR you could use 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste instead
  • 250 grams white spelt flour (OR use regular wheat flour), plus a little extra for rolling out the dough
  • 100 grams fine corn flour (not corn starch and not polenta), also know as corn meal (finely ground)
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • icing sugar, for dusting



Equipment needed
  • baking sheet
  • baking parchment 
  • wooden skewer or fork
  • lace doily
  • small sieve



Preparation
  1. Scrape the insides from a vanilla bean into a large mixing bowl.
  2. In same bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. OR put the butter, sugar and scraped seeds of a vanilla bean in a food processor and whizz until pale and creamy OR rub the butter and sugar by hand, then add the seeds of the vanilla bean.
  3. Add the flour, corn flour and salt, and beat until mixture is well combined. OR pulse until the mixture clumps together into small pieces.
  4. Tip onto a lightly floured work surface and bring the dough together as a ball – take care not to overwork the dough.
  5. Roll the dough to a 25cm circle, about 1cm thick. Trim around a large plate to give a really neat edge.
  6. Transfer to a large baking sheet lined with baking parchment.
  7. Use two fingers to crimp all the way around the edge of the dough then, using a fork or wooden skewer, mark dotted lines to portion the shortbread into 8 wedges.
  8. Cover the prepared dough loosely with cling wrap.
  9. Place the baking sheet in the fridge and chill for at least thirty minutes and up to a day.
  10. When you are ready to bake the shortbread, pre-heat your oven to 180° Celsius (160° Celsius for convection ovens).
  11. Bake the shortbread for about 25 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
  12. Leave to cool completely on the baking sheet or the shortbread will break.
  13. To decorate, place a lace doily over the shortbread and using a small sieve, dust with a generous layer of icing sugar. Pull the doily away to reveal the beautiful lacy pattern. Keep in a cookie tin or glass container for up to five days (after a few days, the vanilla taste will lessen but I seriously doubt, that it will last for a few days anyways.)



I truly love the smart decoration technique for this classic tea time treat, namely to use a doily to dust on a pretty lace pattern in icing sugar.




This rich home-baked treat is a real crowd-pleaser. It is a not too sweet, melt in the mouth shortbread that goes perfectly with that cup of tea in the afternoon. Or maybe serve it with fresh seasonal fruits and berries or that homemade ice cream.




I always have a soft spot for baked goods that have a bit of a story to them. It is lovely to think that there is tradition and history in what we are eating and sharing with our family and friends.




*Homemade Vanilla Sugar

Since Pure Vanilla Sugar can be a bit difficult to find in stores it might be best to make your own and keep it in a jar. It has an almost indefinite shelf life and the taste is worth the little effort it takes to make your own. You can add it to your baked goods by simply substituting vanilla extract by vanilla sugar.

Ingredients
  • caster (superfine baking) sugar - you can use one cup or more
  • one vanilla bean (from Madagascar or Hawaii)
Preparation

Put the sugar in a glass jar and split the length of the vanilla bean and cut into sections (leave the seeds in OR use scraped vanilla beans for baking these lovely Vanilla Bean Petticaot Tails). Place the sections into the sugar. Shake, cover and store in a cool and dark place for about two weeks before using.




Enjoy!

31 comments:

  1. I am a huge fan of shortbread, ad my family's recipe isn't too different from yours. Although ours has no cornmeal (and uses regular flour), the color and texture are so similar. My Nana even crimped hers the same what you did yours! These would be especially lovely with my morning bowl of cocoa. :) David

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    1. David, I just tried to be a bit different here - there are tons of shortbread recipes out there and I wanted to take a road a bit less travelled so I went with white spelt flour as well as fine corn flour - for texture, color and taste. Now the recipe yields a wonderfully crumbly shortbread with a fabulous pale yellow hue and it tastes just right, buttery goodness... - my taste testers did not leave a crumb.
      Thank you for your kind comment - wishing you and Mark a wonderful weekend,
      Andrea

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  2. I never thought of dressing up shortbread this way. So lovely!

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    1. Marilyn, how very nice to hear from you - how have you been?! Hopefully life has been good to you!
      Thank you for your very kind comment!
      Do let me know if you are planning to start blogging again so that I can drop by for comments!
      Take good care of yourself,
      Andrea

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  3. Den Teller könnte ich Dir glatt klauen liebe Andrea - wunderschön! 50's vintage?
    Na und das Shortbread sowieso - köstlich!

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    1. Barbara, ist der nicht schön? Mein derzeitiges absolutes Lieblingsstück - und ich finde, dass die Petticoat Tails thematisch einfach sehr schön dazu passen!
      Ich freue mich ganz besonders, dass dir der Kuchenteller auch so gut gefällt!
      Würde ich näher wohnen, könntest du ihn dir gerne leihen.
      Liebe Grüße in die Provence,
      Andrea

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  4. Andrea, was soll ich sagen... ich wuenschte, ich koennte gerade jetzt zu meinem Earl Grey in dieses shortbread beissen. Und dieser Teller!!!!
    Wo findet man so ein Original aus den 50ern noch??? Die Gritsmill von Mt. Vernon bietet frisch gemahlenes Cornmeal an, sehr gelb und sehr aromatisch, das werde ich jetzt mal fuer shortbread verwenden, was ich bisher nie tat... Danke fuer diesen Tipp! Liebe Gruesse aus dem stuermischen Frederick!

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    1. Liebe Wally, ganz herzlichen Dank für den wundervollen Kommentar - diese Kuchenplatte habe ich ersteigert (und wir wissen ja all wo man das macht...Ha!) - es war mir ein sehr persönliches Anliegen, diese Platte zu fotografieren, sie passt einfach unglaublich gut zu diesem Gebäck - da musste dann der Post auch einmal ein wenig auf die passende Platte warten. Das frisch gemahlene Maismehl hört sich fantastisch an - ich habe ja bekanntlich eine Schwäche für frisch gemahlenes Mehl - das Shortbread schmeckt sicherlich wunderbar damit.
      Liebe Grüße aus dem frühlingshaften Bonn,
      Andrea

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  5. So pretty, Andrea! I'd love to try this shortbread.

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    1. Thank you kindly, dear Beth! Shortbread is always a winner,

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  6. These are exquisite, feminine, and delightful.
    I can see why Mary, Queen of Scots savored them. How interesting!
    Also, I LOVE your plate!! xx

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    1. Kim, that is very nice of you - thanks so much. Yes, that cake plate, a current favorite of mine - I would not give ot away for anything!
      Andrea

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  7. I really love shortbreads and these look so dainty and delicious! I always enjoy the history in your posts, Andrea. Very interesting!

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    1. AMy, how nice of you to let me know - I am always a bit weary about posting too much of food history but it is always quite delightful to know that there is a story about the food that you prepared and enjoy!

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  8. Hi Andrea, oh I love shortbread, the history behind this and the technique that you used to prepare these.

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    1. Cheri, I have to agree with you, it is always fun to study the history behind the foods we eat - thank you very much for the kind comment!

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  9. Oh my! such a pretty serving plate! and the shortbread looks absolutely delightful. Thanks for the recipe!

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    1. Emily, thanks so much - I certainly appreciate your kind feedback on this post that happens to be so close to my foodie heart!

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  10. Gorgeous shortbread Andrea - and the plate that you have displayed it on is beautiful.

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    1. Gaye, isn´t it a lovely cake plate - I looked for it for the longest time (ever since I saw it years ago) - and I also looked for a suitable recipe to display this little treasure! Now I am all happy to own it and receive comments as kind as yours! Thanks!

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  11. Those are the cutest shortbreads I've ever seen Andrea, they look awesome!

    PS that French-themed plate is fantastic, I love it.

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  12. We love shortbread in our house, of course how could we not with Mr LG hailing from Scotland :) Yours looks perfect, buttery, crumbly just as a good shortbread should be and I simply adore the whimsical French plate it sits on...

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    1. Karen, to be honest, I had no idea that your husband hails from Scotland - no surprise then that you like shortbread so much, it is Scottish, after all!
      Hope your pastry/cake business is making you happy - you are one talented lady, my friend!

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  13. What's not to love??? Buttery, vanilla shortbread all decked out with crimps and dots served on a gorgeous plate! Beautiful!

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    1. Liz, how very nice of you, thank you, my friend! It always makes me happy to read that my friends also enjoy those posts that are very close to my foodie heart!

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  14. I get my love for shortbread from my dad. This is such a beautiful post, Andrea, as all of them. Love the Parisian touch.
    Can't wait to taste it.
    Hope you and your family are doing well. Sending hugs from far away!

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    1. Colette, your dad sounds like quite the foodie - and I am gald that you enjoy this post with its French flair - it is very close to my foodie heart!
      All the best,
      Andrea

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  15. It is so funny, I never thought about the name "petticoat", but I like the idea of how they must taste...buttery, melting in your mouth...and yes to the vanilla sugar...
    The French plates are so cute...adorable Andrea.
    Hope you are having a fantastic week :)

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    1. Juliana, such a nice comment - thank you very much my dear friend!

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  16. I always forget how easy it is to make shortbread. I've made a similar recipe, pressing it into a tart pan with a removable bottom to get the scalloped edges. I'll try your version.

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