Cornmeal Shortbread with Herbs and Honey
By Amy Maltzan, adapted from The New York Times
This buttery shortbread can be a luscious bridge between a soft, earthy cheese and a sweet dessert Riesling. We thought it was a knockout with the “Little Pond” cheese from Keeley’s Cheese Company and the Hermann J. Wiemer 2013 Late Harvest Riesling.
Makes 1 8×8 or 9×9 pan
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal (we like Farmer Ground Flour’s Cornmeal)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon plus 1 pinch kosher salt
Several grindings fresh black pepper
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted cold butter, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 teaspoons honey
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together flour, cornmeal, sugar, rosemary, fennel, salt and pepper. (Alternatively, whisk together by hand in a large mixing bowl.)
Add chunks of cold butter and honey; pulse until most pieces are the size of oatmeal. Continue pulsing until finely ground and just starting to clump together, but don’t over-process. The mixture should look sandy. (Alternatively, use a pastry blender to cut in the butter and honey until the same sandy texture is reached.)
Pour the mixture into an 8×8 or 9×9 pan and use your hands to firmly press the dough down into the pan. Prick all over with a knife or skewer.
Bake until golden brown, 35-40 minutes for a 9×9 pan or 45-50 minutes for an 8×8 pan. Let cool slightly before cutting bars to serve (I cut mine into 1×2-inch bars.)
Amy Maltzan is an avid home cook, gardener and occasional blogger. More of her seasonally focused recipes are available at eggsonsunday.wordpress.com and here.
Photo by Amy Maltzan
The above recipe is from our current May/June issue, out now!
