Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

NOT GLUTEN FREE

I have not been tempted by anything until I made this Hungarian Shortbread. By the reactions of those who could indulge, if I ever do decide to cheat, this will be the culprit! I never ache for anything, I find myself completely satisfied on  my gluten free diet, but oh, this does look good. I also don't keep a gluten free kitchen. We are very very careful, two toasters, separate wooden spoons,  a separate freezer for all our gluten free flours, well labeled jars in the fridge and a partner who is equally careful. If I do bake with wheat flour, or any gluten, it is after I have complete my gluten free cooking. This light, crumbly shortbread is the result of a clever technique: freezing the dough and grating it. It is based on a recipe by Dorie Greenspan.

2 cups wheat flour, plus more as needed
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp fine salt
1/2 pound sweet, unsalted butter, plus more to prepare pan
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup good raspberry jam (I use the kind with seeds from Stonewall)

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together, set aside. Cream butter in a kitchen aide mixer using the paddle attachment for 2 minutes. Add sugar and egg yolks and continue to cream for another 4 minutes. With the mixer on slow, add the flour mixture until it comes together, about a minute. Turn dough onto a light floured surface and bring together with your hands. Divide dough into two disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for at least an hour and up to 3 hours. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan. Remove disks from freezer, unwrap, and grate one disk using the large holes of a box grater, directly into the the prepared pan. Gently pat grated dough to even it out. Spread the jam evenly over the dough leaving a half inch border around the edges. Grate remaining disk over the jam layer and pat gently to even out the surfaces. Bake until light golden brown, about 45 - 60 minutes, depending on your oven. Cool on a wrack completely before removing from pan. Dust with powdered sugar.