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Napolitaines
Jam shortbread sandwiches with pink icing
Napolitaine: Mauritian butter shortbread rounds sandwiched with jam under a pink sugar glaze
Pink, round and glossy, napolitaines sit in the front window of every pâtisserie in Port Louis and Quatre Bornes, and they come out at birthday teas, christenings and school fêtes. Two discs of tender, barely sweet butter shortbread are glued together with strawberry jam and dipped in a thin pink icing that sets to a crisp shell; the biscuit should crumble against the sweet glaze, not snap. The common mistake is baking them until golden: they must stay pale, or the shortbread turns hard and tastes toasted. Look for a vegetarian red food colouring, as many red colourings are made from cochineal insects. Chef's tip: chill the cut rounds for 15 minutes before baking so they keep their sharp edges and do not spread.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 14
Ingredients
For the shortbread
- 9 oz plain flour
- 6 oz unsalted buttersoftened
- 1 oz icing sugar
- 1 pinch salt
To fill and glaze
- 4 oz strawberry jamsmooth or sieved
- 10 ½ oz icing sugarsifted
- 3 tbsp hot waterplus a few drops more
- 2 drops red food colouringvegetarian (not cochineal or carmine)
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Beat 6 oz unsalted butter, 1 oz icing sugar and 1 pinch salt in a bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy.
Step 2: Add 9 oz plain flour and work it in with your fingers until it forms a soft dough. Do not knead; stop as soon as no dry flour is left.
Step 3: Flatten into a disc, wrap and chill until firm enough to roll.
20 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan) and line two trays with baking paper. Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper to 6 mm thick and cut out 5 cm rounds, re-rolling the scraps once. You need an even number, about 28.
Step 5: Put the rounds on the trays and chill again.
15 minStep 6: Bake until set and dry on top but still pale, with no colour at the edges.
13 minStep 7: Leave on the tray for 5 minutes, then cool completely on a rack.
20 minStep 8: Spread the flat side of half the rounds with 4 oz strawberry jam and press the remaining rounds on top.
Step 9: Mix 10 ½ oz icing sugar with 3 tbsp hot water and 2 drops red food colouring to a thick, pale pink glaze that coats the back of a spoon and flows slowly. Add hot water a few drops at a time if needed.
Step 10: Hold each sandwich by its sides, dip the top and sides in the glaze, let the excess drip off and set it on a rack. Leave until the icing is dry to the touch.
30 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does napolitaines take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 14 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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