SHORTBREAD FOR BURNS NIGHT

Auntie Mary in Salmon Arm gave me these cookie molds at Christmastime.  They are made of pottery: one is a wheat sheaf and the other is holly leaves.

The only cookie mold I have ever had was a 9 inch wooden circle with a Scotch thistle carving but it has long gone into that Black Hole that exists when moving house.

So I decided to substitute a wheaf sheaf for a Scotch thistle when making shortbread for the Burns Supper at Mairi and John's this past week.

Mary also gave me my mother's (i.e. her sister) shortbread recipe which is this:

GRANDMA BOOTH'S SHORTBREAD

3 cups of flour             (16 oz)

3/4 cup butter               (6 oz)

1 cup light brown sugar     (8 oz)

Pinch of salt

It is not what might be called "traditional shortbread" (for Scotland) which is this, out of the Glasgow Dough School book, i.e. Glasgow Cookery Book, John Smith, 1970:

GLASGOW DOUGH SCHOOL SHORTBREAD

8 oz flour            (doubled is 16 oz)

 4 oz butter             (doubled is 8 oz)

2 oz sugar          (doubled is 4 oz)

 

Bake til golden brown being careful not to burn if dough has been rolled thinly.

Shortbread for afters: the whisky is Scotch Malt Whisky Society Liqueur (Macallan's based) of some years ago; the china (Wedgewood Belle Fleur) is a wedding present from Iseabai and the liqueur (or sherry) glass was a present from Norman Tennant to be used as a vase for flowers.