Preparation
- Beat the butter and 70 g of the sugar until smooth, ideally in a food processor or by hand.
- Add the flour, rice flour and a pinch of salt and mix only until a cohesive dough forms.
- Press the dough evenly into a tin (about 20 × 15 cm) with your hands, smooth it with cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes (up to 2 days is fine).
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan), remove the cling film and prick the dough all over with a fork.
- Sprinkle with the 2 tbsp sugar and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Leave to cool in the tin, then cut into about 12 thin fingers. Stored in a tin, the shortbread keeps for up to a week.
Drink with it
Mellow whisky · excellent match
Speyside single malt, neat or with a splash of water
Honey, vanilla and grain in the malt meet the butter and sugar crust; in Scotland the two share the same table.
Whisky with food: cheese, chocolate, and savory dishesSherry-cask whisky · good match
Sherry cask-matured single malt, neat
Dried fruit and toffee notes from the sherry cask settle over the plain butter biscuit, which makes the stronger whisky seem rounder.
What Does the Cask Do to Whisky?Sweet wine · good match
Riesling Auslese or Sauternes, well chilled
Honey and apricot notes pick up the butter and sugar, and the wine is sweeter than the biscuit so it does not taste thin.
Which wine goes with dessert? Comparing sweetness deliberatelyFortified wine · good match
Tawny port, 10 years old
Nutty, caramel-like ageing notes suit the golden-baked butter and the sugar crust.
Port wine: understanding Ruby, Tawny, and Vintage