We live in zone 6a and I have been gardening and cooking for years. This blog is an opportunity for me to share with you my success and those failures that come about on occasion. Plus, I want to hear from all the gardeners and bakers and cooks out there and learn from you. Feel free to share your ideas.







Monday, April 30, 2012

Tuesdays With Dorie: Baking With Julia- Hungarian Shortbread

I took major liberties with this recipe by doing the following.

  • I cut the recipe in half
  • I cut the sugar back by 25%
  • I baked it in a 11 by 7 inch glass pan instead of a 8 by 8
  • I did not use rhubarb as outlined in the recipe, but substituted SaraBeth's Strawberry Rhubarb Jam and Goya's Guava Paste. The guava paste gave it more of a Spanish or Puerto Rican slant. I used each filling on half of the shortbread. Thus, ending with 2 different bar cookie filings. 
  • Instead of grating the dough by hand, I rolled it into a roll so that it would fit in the food processor tube and used the grating attachment. However, the dough should be frozen for an hour at least before grating. It came out incredibly fluffy, almost like snow.
  • I pre-baked the bottom crust for about 12 minutes or so and then placed the filling on it.
  • Once baked, I cut this into  36 servings. Tiny, but these are rich.
If you would like the recipe you can go to Lynette's blog at  1smallkitchen and Cher's of The Not So Exciting Adventures of a Dabbler. They are the hosts for this recipe and feel free to visit their blog to see their creations.

Would I make this bar cookie again?  Yes.

How easy was it to make? It was a piece of cake. However, I think attempting to grate the dough by hand could be frustrating. Most people found my tip of using the food processor grater the way to go. But remember, make sure that dough is frozen or you will have a mess.

What else do you have to say about this recipe? This recipe has a lot of butter, so I consider this to be a a special occasion bar. It would be great at Christmas.


Have fun viewing the photos.




                                     
 I picked the fillings up at Jungle Jim's and Food Fare



  Rolled dough just before freezing


                                                   Guava Paste

                                                         


      I sliced  the guava paste in about 1/4 inch slices



    The first layer of dough after it was pre-baked



   This is how I divided up the filling to create two different bar cookies.


             

 The Hungarian Shortbread just after I sifted confectioner sugar on it while it was still hot.



                                                         Sliced bars








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17 comments:

  1. smarkiesMay 1, 2012 at 3:06 AM

    Interesting combination with the guava paste.
    The tip with the food processor will definitely come in handy the next time I try these out.

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  2. Sweet and That's itMay 1, 2012 at 4:12 AM

    I've never heard of Guave Paste... but it looks delicious!

    I'm definitely going to make it again.
    I loved it, and though I'd reduced the butter by 1/3 it still was great!
    Thanks for baking along!
    Greetings from Switzerland.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomato ThymesMay 1, 2012 at 6:50 AM

      Glad to hear that you reduced the butter by 1/3. I will make a note in the cookbook about that.
      Lisa

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  3. Andrea_TheKitchenLionessMay 1, 2012 at 7:29 AM

    What an interesting idea to feed the frozen dough through the tube of your food processor - hpw did you come up with that idea?! Sounds inventive, that's for sure. And the guava paste - I have never heard of this but it certaintly has a wonderful rich red color - wonder how it tastes like...

    Enjoy the rest of your week!

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    Replies
    1. Tomato ThymesMay 1, 2012 at 7:18 PM

      Andrea--it just made sense to let the food processor do the work. I was concerned that if I used a hand grater the dough would soften from the warmth of my hands and it would take awhile to grate it. As far as guava paste, it is like a thick jam you can cut and it taste likes guava. Guava paste is used in Spanish and Puerto Rican pastry.
      Lisa

      Delete
  4. UnknownMay 1, 2012 at 8:20 AM

    The food processor definitely helped on this one! Its a good cookie but very rich and sweet. A little goes a long way!

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  5. AnonymousMay 1, 2012 at 10:29 AM

    we felt these were rich too and went great with tea and coffee in the morning :)

    Alice @ http://acookingmizer.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. RebeccaMay 1, 2012 at 11:04 AM

    I thought about trying to use the processor, but ended up doing it by hand. It took a while. Very smart to let the machine do the work. Great pictures!

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  7. loavesandstitchesMay 1, 2012 at 12:16 PM

    They look good! It's good to know that you can reduce the butter--thanks!

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  8. JudyMay 1, 2012 at 2:08 PM

    Your shortbread looks lovely. I bet the guava paste is awesome. If I make this again, making half the recipe is the way to go -- unless I'm baking for an army.

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  9. KathyMay 1, 2012 at 9:09 PM

    Oh yum…guava paste sounds wonderful! Your shortbread looks lovely…nice post!

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  10. Cher RockwellMay 1, 2012 at 9:37 PM

    Very lovely :-)
    Guava paste is the best stuff, isn't it? I always keep a tin in my pantry (sometimes, I will cube it and eat it straight up...)
    Thanks for baking along this week!

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  11. Mary HirschMay 1, 2012 at 11:21 PM

    Now that was an interesting Post. Unlike Cher, I do not keep a tin of guava paste in my pantry, have never eaten it, and will definitely find some way to use it soon (maybe in another batch of Hungarian shortbread). I was thinking of making this for Christmas also, using raspberry or cherry for a festive holiday look. Why not guava paste? a Goya product? MMmmmmm I like that you cut back on the sugar. Am wondering about the butter. I loved the grating process but I know the food processor is so much faster. Lots to think about from your Post.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousMay 2, 2012 at 9:36 AM

    I've never had guava paste but it sounds great and sure looks good inside your shortbread!

    ReplyDelete
  13. SairaMay 2, 2012 at 7:49 PM

    Lovely Shortbread :-) I love your additions

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  14. Baking is my Zen...sweet nibbles for the soulMay 2, 2012 at 8:52 PM

    Lisa, the versatility of fillings make this recipe a keeper. The guava paste is an interesting choice. Will keep that in mind :)

    ~ Carmen
    http://bakingismyzen.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/twd-baking-with-julia-hungarian-shortbread-with-homemade-strawberry-jam/

    ReplyDelete
  15. RobinMay 3, 2012 at 4:10 PM

    So you did 2 fillings as well. I bet the guava paste was nice. We loved it with the strawberry jam.

    ReplyDelete

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