Shortbread pastry

Q: I’VE HAD a couple of tries at making pastry for tarts and pies, but they never seem to come out quite like mum used to make. Can you recommend a good shortbread pastry recipe?

A: Traditional shortbread pastry, so often left out of even the best pastry cook books is an absolute essential for your baking repertoire. Once you have the pastry down pat there is so much room to be imaginative with your fillings.

Ingredients for pastry to feed 6-8

250 grams wheat flour
125 grams caster sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla flavored caster sugar (you can also use ground vanilla beans or a few drops of vanilla essence)
125 grams soft butter
1 egg
1 pinch of table salt

Method

1. Place sugars, salt and the egg into a mixing bowl and blend for 30 seconds.

2. Add the flour in one go and blend quickly. Then work the pastry through the tips of your fingers until it takes on a sandy texture, setting aside each portion until the whole batch has been completed.

3. Pile the ‘sandy’ pastry on a clean surface and gently form a well in the centre with your fingers. Then put the soft butter in the well and gently knead the butter through the pastry till it is an even consistency.

4. Make a compact ball of the pastry and keep it in a bowl covered with a damp cloth in the fridge for about 90 minutes.

Golden pastry advice

If you're making butter-rich cookies or pastry it helps if you chill the dough before putting it in the oven. If you bake straight after handling the dough and making the pastry, the butter (warmed during shaping) will quickly melt, fail to meld properly with the flour, and may cause your pastry (or cookies) to dry out.

Filling inspired?

The last tart filling I made (that turned out incredibly well if I may say so) was made with simple leftovers from the fridge – I just sliced up a few stewed pears and added a generous dollop of gooseberry jam and a sprinkling of nutmeg and cinnamon. The result was absolutely delish - consumed within 10 seconds of exiting the oven.