I felt rather proud seeing Claire Clark (my Patisserie tutor from Le Cordon Bleu) as a judge on Masterchef last night. She was an incredibly nice and inspiring teacher and many of her recipes have been staples over the years. In fact it’s her lemon cake recipe that I turn to for every birthday that doesn’t have to be dairy/egg free. I’m determined to make a version that is egg and dairy-free over the next few days…. Watch this space!
But first, this morning I’m going to make Claire’s awesome shortbread – of course, it’s not quite the same when it isn’t laden with butter, but it’s still pretty damn good and makes a fine partner to a cup of coffee or even a lemon posset or chocolate mousse.
Scrummy Shortbread (vegetarian, dairy-free, egg-free, soya-free, nut-free, vegan)
makes approx. 12
- 225g plain flour
- 75g golden caster sugar
- 150g dairy-free margarine (I used Pure sunflower)
- 1 vanilla pod (I left it out as didn’t have one, but it’s much nicer with)
- 50g granulated sugar, to sprinkle
– Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade
– Line a baking sheet with parchment
– Sift the flour into a bowl and stir in the sugar and vanilla
– Add the dairy-free spread and rub in with fingers. Once it starts to combine, bring together to form a soft dough.
– On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1cm thickness.
– Cut into even sized shapes – rectangles look rather elegant
– Place on the lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Then turn the baking sheet round and bake for another 10 minutes.
– Once the shortbread is golden brown remove from oven. Leaving it on the baking sheet, dust with the granulated sugar. Cool on the baking sheet.
2 Responses