The humble shortbread biscuit is often relegated to a supporting role on the side of the scene-stealing main event. A small disc of shortbread is regularly found half hidden under a bowl of ice-cream, or sitting forlornly by a crème brulée.
However, I love shortbread and think it should take centre stage every now and then. This strawberry shortbread recipe elevates the biscuit and makes a very impressive dessert. It is composed of two elegantly thin shortbread biscuits sandwiched with cream and the first of the summer strawberries. It is a culinary announcement that summer has arrived.
Although these look beautiful with a neatly piped cream filling, it isn’t the end of the world if a piping nozzle escapes you. You could snip a small corner from a sandwich bag and use that as a makeshift piping bag. Alternatively, just place spoonfuls of cream on the first strawberry-topped biscuit, press the second biscuit gently on the top and smooth the sides with a palette knife.
In the cookery school, shortbread recipes are far from one dimensional and Parmesan shortbread is a staple on our savoury canapés list. Similarly, these shortbreads could be adapted in lots of ways: a little pinch of spice in the shortbread; some subtle flavouring such as lavender or almond essence in the cream; a variety of summer berries depending on what is in season.
You could also decide to press the dough into a baking tray for a thicker slab which can later be sectioned into fingers, in which case you will need to bake the shortbread for an extra 10 minutes.
For me, the elegant simplicity of the strawberry and cream filling takes some beating. It allows the buttery shortbread and sweet strawberries to shine through without being muddied by lots of other flavours.
The biscuits will keep well in an airtight container for up to five days. Once the cream and fruit are added they are best eaten immediately, preferably while lounging in the sunshine.
Variation: Add different garnishes such as toasted flaked almonds, lime zest or redcurrants.
STRAWBERRY SHORTBREAD WITH CHANTILLY CREAM
Serves six
Ingredients
For the shortbread:
220g butter, cubed, room temperature
100g caster sugar
350g plain flour, sieved
Zest of half an orange
1 tbsp milk, if needed
For Chantilly cream:
150ml cream
80g icing sugar, sieved (plus extra to garnish)
½ tsp vanilla extract
Zest of half orange
To finish:
250g strawberries, washed and hulled
Method
1 Preheat your oven to 170 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2 Using an electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together until pale. Add the flour and zest and continue beating until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add a small amount of milk if necessary to form the mixture into a pliable dough.
3 Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface, to a 5mm thickness. Use a sharp knife to cut out 12 even-sized rectangles (approximately 13cm x 4cm). Gently pierce the surface of each using a fork. Transfer them to the baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking.
4 Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until pale golden in colour. Once the shortbread is cooked, allow to cool for two minutes before lifting the shortbread pieces onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5 For the Chantilly cream: whip the cream, sugar and vanilla together to a stiffly whipped consistency, then fold in the orange zest. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle with the cream.
6 To assemble, slice six to nine strawberries (keep the remaining strawberries to serve on the side). Sandwich two shortbread biscuits together with whipped cream and the sliced strawberries.
7 Dust the tops with icing sugar. Serve immediately with the remaining strawberries and cream.
