Okay, I know, it's Scottish. But close enough: I needed a simple dessert to serve after the corned beef last night and shortbread sounded easy and good. At the last minute, though, I got a wild hair: coffee beans! Not ground, more like 'chunked' with nuggets averaging 1/8", several tablespoons of that strewn around the bottom, the shortbread dough pressed on top. Sounded good to me, so I did it.
DAMN I'm good! First off, looks-wise, the result was absolutely stunning. Turned over, the coffee beans had spread from the pressure I applied pressing wads of chilled dough into place. Where I'd imagined an effect somewhat uniform like the chips in chocolate chip ice cream, in fact the effect was much nicer, a marbling, with specks here and there and deep veins. So beautiful were the bottoms that I served the shortbreads (I made two) upside down on dark brown plates and whole, passing the plates so that guests could break off hunks and help themselves to more. The breaks occurred mostly along those veins so structurally it made sense, but too it enhanced the feeling of the communal table that a St. Patty's dinner should be. Except for the pureed celery root and chive soup with Irish cheddar crouton that was the first course, all the food was served family style.
And how did they taste? Sensational. In fact, our friend Tom, who doesn't even like brewed coffee, said, "I think this is the best thing I ever ate." He totally pigged out. And here's something else that was cool: the coffee element bridged the savory-sweet divide and the shortbread went very very well with the red wines left on the table, which were syrah, malbec, zinfandel and petite sirah. Port, I have to think, would be superb.
All the leftovers home with the guests cuz I'd have gotten up this morning and eaten every last crumb. I will absolutely, no doubt, make these again.
For two 9" cake round spring form or layer cake pans (what I used, the shortbreads turn right out):
2 cups salted butter, room temp
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 Tbslp roasted coffee beans, pounded or lightly ground into coarse chunks in a coffee grinder or baby Cuise
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Cream butter and brown sugar. Add the flour in batches until it's completely incorporated. Prepare a surface with bench flour and knead the dough a few minutes into a soft, cohesive lump. Divide the coffee between the two pans, and add the dough, breaking off in 1 and 2 inch wads and pressing into place with your fingers, then even out the surface by pressing with the bottom of something flat, like an empty jar. Prick the surface in 8 places with a fork, then bake until lightly golden and firm in the center, about 45 minutes.
Allow to cool completely in the pan before turning out onto a plate. Do not use racks. Serve whole, coffee side up.
Warning: ridiculously fattening and addictive!
