At this time of year there is a cornucopia of beautifully packaged goodies that look really nice in a gift basket, and very welcome they are too. But, do you ever eat a cracker or a cookie from one of those packages and think to yourself, “Huh. I could make that.”
Me too.
A couple of weeks ago I sampled some pricey Parmesan and rosemary shortbreads, and they were darn good, but I was pretty sure I could do them better (and cheaper). So I tried, using spruce tips instead of rosemary, and I’m going to out on a limb and say the results are five-star.
Ingredients
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4 oz (1/2 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
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3 oz (1 cup, packed) grated Parmesan
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1 cup all-purpose flour
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1 tbsp dried spruce tips, minced
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1/2 tsp salt
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Instructions
- Cream the butter until light and fluffy in a medium-sized bowl. Add flour, Parmesan, spruce tips and salt and mix thoroughly until the dough starts to clump together.
- Transfer dough to a work surface and press and pat it into a disc. Divide the disc in half.
- Taking the first half, shape the dough into a squared log of about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and 6 inches in length, pressing firmly. Press the ends down on the counter to flatten them.
- Repeat with the second half of the dough. Wrap each one tightly in plastic or waxed paper, twisting the ends, and refrigerate for a good hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F about 15 minutes before you plan to bake, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut each log into 1/4-inch slices—you should be able to get 12 slices from each one.
- Arrange on a baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until shortbreads are just turning golden at the edges.
- Remove from oven and cool shortbreads on a rack; as they cool, the sprucey flavour becomes more pronounced.
- Serve with eggnog, on a cheese platter, or with a quiet Rob Roy cocktail sipped while gazing out the window at falling snow.
I know, that’s a big claim. Hubris awaits. But I hope you agree.
One of my favourite times in December is that twilit hour between dusk and darkness, sitting by a window and watching the snow fall or the wind blow through the spruce trees. My plan in the coming days is to cordon off that quiet hour, park myself in an armchair, nibble on a few Parmesan and Spruce Tip Shortbreads and sip a Rob Roy.
Ingredients
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2 oz Two Brewer’s Whisky, any iteration
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3/4 oz sweet vermouth
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2 dashes Free Pour Jenny’s Solstice Bitters
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Maraschino, Luxardo or Bourbon-soaked cherry for garnish
Instructions
Combine all ingredients except cherry in a mixing glass with ice, stir several times and then strain into a coup, or serve over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with cherry.
I hope you, too, find a quiet hour for yourself amongst the seasonal kookiness, along with the perfect accompaniment.
