Cheddar and chive shortbread with creamed feta and piquanté peppers
Ingredients
Shortbread
- 180 g unsalted butter, softened
- 200 g cake flour, sifted
- salt and cayenne pepper, to taste
- 4 large egg yolks
- 500 g cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp chives, finely chopped
Creamed feta
- 200 g feta
- 6 piquanté peppers, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp fresh fla- leaf parsley, finely chopped, optional watercress, to serve
Instructions
1. For the shortbread, preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Beat the butter, flour, salt, and pepper together with a wooden spoon. Add the egg yolks and mix until it just comes together to form a soft dough. Mix in the cheese and chives.
3. Lightly grease a loose-bottom cake tin or ovenproof dish. Spread the mixture onto the base of the dish to form a disc about 2cm thick. Bake until golden brown and slightly crisp, about 20 – 25 minutes.
4. Cut into portions or wedges while it is still warm as it will harden once cooled. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the baking tray then transfer to a cooling rack. Store it in an airtight container.
5. For the creamed feta, place the feta in a food processor and blend until crumbly. Add the piquanté peppers and chilli sauce and blend until smooth. Season and stir in the parsley. 6 Serve the shortbread topped with watercress and creamed feta on the side.