Bitter Nib Shortbread
The coffee in this shortbread dough adds bitterness to balance out the richness. Choose your chocolate well – you don’t want it to be so strong that it rivals the coffee.
3 tablespoons roasted coffee beans 230g unsalted butter, softened at room
temperature
² ³ cup sugar, plus a little more for the top 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
² ³ cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate Vanilla Bean Grey Salt (see right), for finishing
Preheat the oven to 160oC. Set a 23cm fluted tart tin with a removable base onto a baking sheet.
Put the coffee beans into a small processor or grinder and blitz to form a rough nib-like texture. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Set aside until needed.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt on medium speed until pale and creamy, 3 minutes. Pause mixing to scrape down the bottom and side of the bowl. Set the speed to low and tip in the flour. Beat until it has just begun to come together, then beat in the chocolate and beans until well distributed.
Tip the dough into the tin, using your fingers to press it into an even layer, then sprinkle with a pinch of grey salt. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown.
Immediately use a sharp knife to score the top into eight even wedges. Allow the shortbread to cool in the tin completely before lifting out, snapping it along the scoring into pieces, and serving. Makes 8 pieces
Vanilla Bean Grey Salt
This is a wet salt with a taste of the sea. I infuse it with vanilla, which gives it a complex, heightened tone. It gets better the longer it sits, so make it ahead of time.
1 cup grey salt 1 vanilla bean pod
Put the salt in a medium bowl. Use a sharp knife to split open the vanilla bean pod then scrape out the seeds, stirring them into the salt. Chop the pod into small chunks then toss it in too, until distributed. Seal and leave to infuse overnight, before use. It’ll keep for about six months. Makes 1 cup