Shrewsbury Biscuits |
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Love
biscuits..............Have a go at this recipe!
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This
recipe was adapted from Mr Palin's recipe in 1819. The original was
very hard indeed so this is a softer version. Mr Palin of Shrewsbury
was renowned for his particular mix of Shrewsbury biscuits. |
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Shrewsbury Cakes or Biscuits
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| 8oz
plain flour |
| 1
level tsp. baking powder |
| 4ozs
caster sugar |
4ozs
butter or margarine
(hard sort like Echo or Stork) |
| Half
tsp. caraway seed |
| Quarter
tsp. nutmeg |
| 2
tsp. rose water |
| 1
Egg |
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Instructions
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| 1.
Mix the dry ingredients and rub the fat in. |
| 2.
Mix the egg with the rose water. |
| 3.
Add to dry ingredients to make soft dough. |
| 4.
Roll out on a floured board. |
| 5.
Shape into a long roll about 12 x 12 inches. |
| 6.
Refrigerate until firm enough to slice thinly. |
| 7.
Cut in half, then quarters etc. (Makes 32). |
| 8.
Bake on a greased tray 370F/190C/Gas No5. |
| 9.
Bake well apart on a greased tray for 10 mins. |
Here is an extract by Elizabeth Anderton from "A Little Shropshire
Gift Book", published in 1978 by Westmid Supplies, Mytton House,
Coton Hill.
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| Sign
marks the site of Mr Palin's original shop in Shrewsbury |
"Mr
Palin, prince of cake compounders
The mouth liquifies at thy very name!"
"This fulsome praise, given in one of The Ingoldsby Legends,
is for Mr Palin of Shrewsbury, renowned for his particular mix of
Shrewsbury cake or biscuits.
These used to be bought by visitors in much the same way as shortbread
in Scotland or clotted cream in Devon.
Recipes vary considerably but all contain spices and rosewater which
is the ingredient that gives the distinctive flavour to Turkish Delight.
Different instructions specify the use of nutmeg, caraway, cinnamon;
many add "sack" or sherry.
Here is one old recipe that I tried; it was possibly a little too
sweet for modern tastes.
1lb each plain flour, fine sugar, 3 beaten eggs, caraway seed and
nutmeg, 3 spoonfuls each of rosewater and sherry.
Mix altogether, roll out, cut into shapes, prick all over, bake in
a moderate oven (I used 300F for just under 30 minutes.
The addition of butter and the reduction of sugar gives a result more
like a shortbread as in this version, from A New System of Domestic
Cookery by A Lady, 1819:
Shrewsbury Cakes
Sift one pound of sugar, some pounded cinnamon, and a nutmeg grated,
into three pounds of flour, the finest sort; add a little rosewater
to three eggs well beaten, and mix these with the flour etc.
Then pour into it as much butter melted as will make it a good thickness
to roll out. Mould it well and roll it thin and cut it into such shapes
as you like."S |
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BLAST
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Youth
arts in Shropshire. |
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