This is a story about ginger. Knobs and knobs and knobs of ginger. Enough ginger to turn my vegetable crisper into a small gnarled forest. Enough ginger to crowd out the salad greens and other respectable vegetables.
You see, about a month ago, I thought it would be a good idea to brew my own ginger beer. It turned out great. In fact, I was so pleased with the process and the result, that on my first go I bought a pound of ginger at the supermarket. As it turns out, a pound of ginger is significant. I'm tired of ginger beer (who could have guessed?) and yet the fridge is still brimming with ginger.
This sweet snap shortbread with lemon and ginger in both the base and glaze is a product of my increasingly creative efforts to go through the remaining store.
Twice-Baked Lemon Ginger Shortbread
For the shortbread
12 tbsp unsalted butter
1 one-inch knob of ginger
zest of 1/2 lemon
5 tbsp sugar
1/16 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1.5 and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
For the glaze
Juice of 1 Lemon (or more, to taste)
1 one-inch knob of ginger
1 cup confectioner's sugar
Melt butter and then, while waiting for it to cool, grate the first one-inch knob of ginger. Add the zest of 1/2 lemon, and press/strain the mixture through a cheesecloth (or coffee filter. But if you're going to use a coffee filter, take care, they can break easily when wet).
Mix the liquid and melted butter, and then add in 5 tablespoons of sugar. Stir in the spices, and then mix in the flour. The dough should come together and be slightly fluffy.
Press the dough into quart-sized sandwich bags, making it a uniform 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate or freeze for at least 2 hours
For the Glaze
Grate an additional 1-inch knob of ginger, and juice the lemon that you zested. Filter the two together and press through a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Stir to combine with the 1 cup confectioner's sugar.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F, and cut the plastic away from the shortbread sheets. Lay them in a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove the hot shortbread from the oven, slice it (a pizza cutter works well for this) and return it to the oven for another 18-20 minutes, until the edges of the shortbread cookies start to brown.
Wait until the shortbread is completely cool before applying the glaze by dipping, drizzle or spreading.
