Waiting for a table at the Moosewood bar, you might take the edge off your hunger with a couple wafers of cheese shortbread and a glass of red wine or ale. You’d pass the time talking to our affable and knowledgeable partner and bartender, Neil Minnis. While you won’t be able to take Neil home with you, you will be able to reproduce this gluten-free shortbread recipe at home in about 5 minutes. The dough can be baked right away, or chilled to bake later, or frozen to bake even later.
Yields 24 to 30 small wafers
Prep time: 10 to 15 minutes
Baking time: 15 minutes
½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 cup Moosewood’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix or other gluten-free flour mix
1¼ teaspoons cracked black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt, if you used unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the butter, grated cheese, flour, pepper, and salt (if using) into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times until the dough sticks together. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured flat surface. With your hands, roll the dough to form two 6-inch logs about 1½ inches in diameter. If you want to bake the shortbread wafers later, wrap the logs in waxed paper and twist the ends tightly closed before refrigerating or freezing. Allow a frozen roll of dough to defrost a few minutes before cutting.
Cut each log crosswise into rounds about ½ inch thick. You should get 12 to 15 rounds per log. Place the rounds 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake until firm and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Reset the oven to turn on the broiler. Place the baking sheet under the broiler for just a minute until the wafers become golden brown—watch closely and take care not to burn them.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Cool thoroughly before storing in an airtight container.
• Roll the logs of dough in finely chopped pecans (you’ll need about ¼ cup) before slicing into rounds. Bake the same as above but don’t broil.
• This recipe works fine substituting the same amount of regular unbleached white flour.
At Moosewood, cheese shortbreads are a bar snack because they pair well with a glass of wine or a beer. At home, they can serve this function also, or make a fine appetizer, perhaps served with other pre-meal nibbles such as Walnut and Roasted Pepper Spread with crudités. The shortbreads are tasty alongside a bowl of soup or chili, or as an after-school treat with apple slices.