matrilineal shortbread

My grandmother on my moms side was Scottish. So I feel some sort of kinship with my matrilineage whenever I make shortbread - which is probably one of the reasons (however subconscious) I made shortbread for my Indian themed, Mother’s Day tea last month.

In fact, my grandmother could be said to have been one of the biggest reasons I enjoy tea parties so much - I inherited her fancy dishes including a 20 piece tea service (including the cup and saucer I used in this picture).

My recipe is usually pretty plain and traditional, but a little touch of spice never hurt anybody, and the same could be said of shortbread. The little decoration of brightly hued fennel candy (which might be a bit hard to find, but check your nearest Little India) is what really makes it special though.

chai shortbread

• 1 cup soft butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 2 tbsp chai spice mix
• 2 tbsp candied fennel

1. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla.
2. Mix flours and spice mix in a separate bowl.
3. Combine butter mix and flour mix and knead with hands until it comes together into a crumbly dough.
4. Refrigerate for at least half an hour.
5. Roll to 1/2 cm thick and cut into desired shapes (I used a small juice glass to get rounds).
6. Sprinkle each cookie round with a few candied anise seeds and bake @ 300 F for 15 minutes.

chai spice mix

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp fennel seed
• 1/2 tsp coriander seed
• 1/2 tsp dry ginger
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 cardamom pod
• 4 peppercorns

1. Put all ingredients in a spice grinder, (clean) coffee grinder or mortar and pestle and grind ’til fragrant and powdery.