Raspberry and Walnut Shortbread Recipe from GourmetFoodPlaza.com

Gourmet Food Plaza

Raspberry and Walnut Shortbread Recipe.....you'll find more recipes like this in our Recipe pages

Raspberry and Walnut Shortbread
Two of Scotland’s most celebrated foods - shortbread and raspberries - come together in this recipe to make a mouth-watering dessert that tastes even better than it looks. The walnuts are ground and added to the shortbread mixture for a subtle nutty flavour. The shortbread could also be made with strawberries.
Serves 8
4 oz	Butter
3 oz	Caster sugar
4 oz	Walnut pieces, finely ground
6 oz	Plain flour
1 lb	Fresh raspberries
2 oz	Icing sugar
2 tbsp	Raspberry liqueur or Kirsch (optional)
1/2 pint	Whipping cream, whipped

	Method
-	Pre-heat oven to 375 °F.
-	Draw three 8 inch circles on non-stick baking parchment.
-	Place the parchment circles on baking sheets.
-	Cream the butter sugar together until pale and fluffy, then beat in the walnuts and flour.
-	Divide the dough into 3 portions.
-	Put a portion of dough in the centre of each parchment circle and press out with the heel of the hand until the dough is the same size as the circle.

-	Cut one of the circles into 8 triangles and ease them slightly apart.
-	Refrigerate the circles and triangles for 30 minutes.
-	Bake for 15-20 minutes until browned.
-	Leave to cool and harden for 10 minutes on the paper, then transfer to wire racks to cool.
-	Meanwhile, reserve one-third of the raspberries for decoration.
-	Put the rest in a bowl with the icing sugar and liqueur, if using.
-	Crush the raspberries with a fork, then leave them to macerate while the rounds are cooling.

-	Assemble the shortbread just before serving, to ensure that the pastry remains crisp.
-	Fold the crushed raspberries and juice into the whipped cream.
-	Stand one round of pastry on a flat serving plate and spread with half the cream mixture.
-	Top with the other round and the remaining cream mixture.
-	Arrange the triangles of pastry on top of the cream, wedging them in at an angle.
-	Scatter the reserved whole raspberries in between.
-	Serve the shortbread as soon as possible.

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