What’d You Do Last Weekend?
Enjoy summer throughout the year by preserving a pinch of it in your salt.
Lavender Shortbread
Butter. Flour. Sugar. Salt.
I sit for hours on our front steps, the French lavender bush draped across my lap, watching the bees dance over the blooms, legs laden with pollen. Bubbling like a fish tank, these workers harvest with purpose, never stopping to acknowledge my presence. I watch them glide over the blooms, occasionally darting across my face to the rosemary bush, avoiding the bumblebees that also feed on the purple flowers.
I almost forget why I'm out here. My cause - a handful of tight lavender blossoms - seems ill-timed. I'll be stealing for those who need the food more than I. I'll wait until nightfall, tip-toeing over the snail path, hoping the hungry hoards will be sated for the day.
Lavender Shortbread
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
2+1/2 c AP flour
1 T fresh lavender, separated and greens and stems discarded
3/4 tsp kosher salt
- Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl.
- Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and the vanilla and mix well. Scrape down the side of the bowl.
- Reduce the speed to low and add the flour, lavender, and salt and mix until just combined.
- Press the dough into the bottom of a 9" tart pan (with a removable bottom) and chill in the freezer until the oven is fully heated.
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and with a sharp knife, score the dough so you start to cut wedges. Return the pan to the oven and cook for an additional 8 - 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden.
- As soon as the dough is cooked completely, re-score the wedges and allow the dough to cool in the pan for 10 - 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove the cookies from the pan, separating them along the score lines. Cool on the baking sheets or on wire racks.
Yield: About 4 dozen cookies (This recipe will likely make enough to fill one pan with some extra you can put in the freezer.)
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Guess Game
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