One of my gardening goals is to use our herbs more and to be more creative cooking with them. I love the picking out, the planting and the harvesting to share of herbs. But often I am guilty of using the basil for caprese salad, lemon thyme for grilled chicken and cilantro for salsa …and the rest to just look pretty in the garden.
I usually plant a variety of herbs and I find that when I have them right outside my back door – and they are convenient, I am much more likely to use them while I am cooking or baking.
Although the season is just getting started and the herbs are small, I decided to cut a few and make these Fresh Herb Parmesan shortbread biscuits – almost like savory crackers. The recipe uses rosemary, but I used a combination of herbs.
You could also vary this shortbread recipe to use the type of cheese that you like. The recipe calls for shredded Parmesan cheese, but other hard aged cheeses, like Asiago or Romano would also work.
You place all the dough ingredients in the food processor to blend. I did need to add an additional 1 tablespoon of water to make the dough come together. If you think you may need more liquid, add about 1 teaspoon at a time.
Place the dough on plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Wrap plastic wrap around the dough. Refrigerate for about one hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness between two pieces of parchment paper. Cut out 2-inch rounds of dough and place on parchment lined baking sheet.
Gently press herbs onto the prepared rounds of dough (the recipe has you place herbs on the dough before cutting – either way works). I placed a piece of parchment paper over the top of the decorated rounds and gently rolled it over the top to press the herbs in evenly. If you like, you can sprinkle a bit of kosher salt on top before you bake.
Bake for about 10-15 minutes, cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then move to a cooling rack. The shortbread will firm up as it cools.
Have fun experimenting with different herbs and cheeses. You could also use edible flowers – maybe pretty marigolds!
A savory addition to your appetizers! Grab a few and a glass of chilled wine and relax! Enjoy!!!
For the recipe and directions, click on the link below:
https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/savory-herb-shortbread-recipe-and-spring-party-printables/
