Author Notes
There are flavors and scents that have the power to transport us to far away places. For me the magical combination is lavender, lemon, olive oil and goat cheese. It tastes like a summer day on a small farm, so sometimes, when I feel especially indulgent, I like to start the day that way. —QueenSashy
Ingredients
- For the cookies
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1 ¼ cups
rolled oats, gently toasted
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8 tablespoons
(1 stick) butter, softened
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1/2 cup
all purpose flour
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1/4 cup
sugar
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1 teaspoon
salt (I like my shortbreads on the salty side, if you do not start with 1/2 tsp)
-
3/4 tablespoon
dry lavender flowers
- For the whipped goat cheese and couils
-
4 ounces
goat cheese, at room temperature
-
3 tablespoons
creme fraiche
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Juice and zest of one lemon
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1/2 cup
good quality extra virgin olive oil
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1/4 cup
brown sugar
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A pinch of salt
Directions
-
Preheat the oven to 325°F convection (or 350°F regular bake). Toast the oats for about 10 minutes. Let the oats cool completely and then process in a food processor, until powdery.
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Beat the butter with sugar until creamy. Stir in the oats, flour, salt and lavender. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Scrape the dough out onto a work surface and pat it into a log 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Wrap up the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate until very firm, about 2 hours.
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Preheat the oven to 325°F convection (or 350°F regular bake). Slice the dough into 1/4 inch thick slices and arrange on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Prick the top of the shortbreads with a fork. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden (somehow, for a lot of cookies in my oven I found 22 minutes to be the magic number). Slide the parchment onto a wire rack and let the shortbreads cool. (The shortbreads can be kept in an airtight container for about a week.)
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To make the whipped goat cheese, beat the goat cheese and creme fraiche until light and fluffy (if needed add a bit more creme fraiche).
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To make the coulis, in a small bowl (or mini-blender) combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, brown sugar, olive oil and salt. Blend until emulsified. Refrigerate for about an hour or two.
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Remove the coulis from the refrigerator and mix well. Place 4-5 cookies on a plate next to a scoop of whipped goat cheese. Top generously with the coulis and serve.
Aleksandra aka QueenSashy is a scientist by day, and cook, photographer and doodler by night. When she is not writing code and formulas, she blogs about food, life and everything in between on her blog, Three Little Halves. Three Little Halves was nominated for 2015 James Beard Awards and the finalist for 2014 Saveur Best Food Blog Awards. Aleksandra lives in New York City with her other two halves, Miss Pain and Dr. V.
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