Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Family Favorites

As I'm sure everyone does, I often associate people or places with certain foods - my collection of recipes is littered with the names of people who gave me the recipe or who I associate the food with - my Sister's little passionfruit cupcakes, my Mother in law's friend's brownies - my Grandma's shortbread recipe.

My Grandma had a fantastically sweet tooth - she was the only person I knew who ate Mars Bar slice outside children's birthday parties and she would always had a tin full of sweet baked goods on the fridge when we'd visit. Her shortbread was legendary and always plentiful. One of my childhood cooking memories is Grandma teaching me to make shortbread - I managed to burn quite a few trays then and since to a total crisp before I was able to produce a tray even half way close to the quality of hers.

G and I spent Christmas with my Mom and my Aunt D's family in Queensland this year - my Aunt D is a fantastic cook and she had cooked all the old time family favorites including Grandma's shortbread.
A perfect finish to a celebratory meal or with a cup of tea after a swim - or anytime really


My Grandma's Shortbread

250g butter, softened
1 3/4 cups plain flour
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup corn flour

Process the butter till pale in a food processor, add the remaining ingredients.
Press into a brownie tin (you don't need to grease it) and bake in a moderate oven till pale golden brown and cooked through. Slice while warm. Store in an airtight container