SC - shortbread/-cakes & salad

[Philip & Susan Troy]

TG wrote:
> 
> << ... how period is shortbread? >>
> 
> I have no idea whether or not the following recipe is pertinent to the
> question... Anyway: From the good huswifes handmaide for the kitchen
> 1594:
> 
> To make short Cakes.
> Take wheate flower, of the fayrest ye can get, and put it
> in an earthern pot, and stop it close, and set it in an
> Oven and bake it, and when it is baken, it will be full
> of clods, and therefore ye must searse it through a
> search: the flower will have as long baking as a pastie
> of Venison. When you have done this, take clowted Creame,
> or els sweet Butter, but Creame is better, then take
> Sugar, Cloves, Mace, and Saffron, and the yolke of an
> Egge for one doozen of Cakes one yolke is ynough: then
> put all these foresaid things together into the cream, +
> te{m}per the{m} al together, the{n} put the{m} to your flower and so
> make your Cakes, your paste wil be very short, therefore
> yee must make your Cakes very litle: when yee bake your
> cakes, yee must bake them upon papers, after the drawing
> of a batch of bread.

In modern parlance this is more of a butter cookie/biscuit than the
classic shortbread, but it is clearly very close. It is interesting to
note that the flour is cooked first (not unprecedented for the culture
represented), which would presumably remove some of the moisture so the
moisture in the cream wouldn't result in a lot of gluten development
(the classic shortbread of places like Scotland is made with butter,
flour and sugar only, with no added liquid as a general rule). The
baking of the flour would presumably also reduce potential gluten
development in kneading. I find it very suggestive of just how short and
fragile these cakes are supposed to be that the recipes cautions the
cook to make them very small and bake them on papers. Baked larger, or
in a pan, would probably result in a pile of very fine crumbs. One could
argue this as an early example of the petit four sec, possibly intended
to be eaten in one bite because tooth pressure could cause the whole
thing to crumble.

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com