Rum Raisin Shortbread

Here's another batch baked yesterday.  I chose to make rum raisin shortbreads because we all love rum raisin flavor!  In fact, I'm thinking of making a rum raisin cheesecake sometime, perhaps for New Year's dessert.  Anyway, this is a shortbread dough but it won't be overly crumbly as traditional shortbread that doesn't have any addition--such as nuts or dried fruits.  The raisins here are replaced by currants, which I adore even more, and since they've been soaked in rum, there's no way that the dough can be dry.  But, it doesn't mean that I don't like this, au contraire, I like it very much.  The aroma is heady and they're eaten daily with plenty of tea or coffee--these shortbreads are best eaten as soon as possible :)  If you want to keep it, stack them in layer between wax paper in an airtight container.  Speaking of container, that glass container in the photo is my mom's.  She's had it since I was perhaps in high school.  It's a great container with cute duckies prints, now I can use for my own cookies.

Rum Raisin Shortbread

Makes about 4 dozens


½ cup dark rum
1 cup currants
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup confectioners' sugar
½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon coarse salt

Combine rum and currants in an airtight container; let sit at room temperature overnight.  Drain; reserving 2 tablespoons rum

Put butter, confectioners' sugar, and zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes.  Add vanilla and reserved rum.  Beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Reduce speed to low.  Add flour, coconut, and salt, and beat for 3 minutes.  Stir in currants by hand.  Divide dough in half and form each into a log about 1 ½ inches in diameter; wrap in parchment, and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 3 days).

Preheat oven to 325F.  Remove dough from parchment; slice into ¼-inch-thick rounds.  Place on parchment paper--lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.  Bake until pale golden, about 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.  Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.


Source:  adapted from Martha Stewarts' Cookies

Grilled London Broil with Rum Molasses Sauce

How's your Mother's day today?  Mine was wonderfully full of children and good music throughout the afternoon.  My son had his first recital since we switched him to a new teacher last summer.  His teacher has a studio which holds recital in springtime.  The recital was held at Sherman Clay Piano store in downtown Portland, a beautiful store that has old and new pianos, grand and no grand alike.  This year's recital has a theme of Chopin and Schumann's 200th birthday, so students have to pick their music from the Romantic Period.

My son was quite nervous the day before and the morning before the recital; he wished that he could just not go to the event.  The feeling in the room was actually very relaxed and familiar; his teacher didn't want the students to feel pressured to not making mistakes.  Of course, some children were naturally flawless performers :)  Nevertheless, I really had the best Mother's day's gift today since I got to see my son braved himself to play in front of a crowd.

The weather seems to be getting better each week, sunny days are ahead and even with some rains, I couldn't be more happier to finally see some changes in the weather.  But, there's a catch with that, my allergy also seems to worsen.  I went out jogging again last Thursday and immediately my throat hurt and  I can't stop sneezing.   I have to wait until my nasal spray is refilled by Tuesday.

This recipe that I'm sharing today is a grilled London broil with rum molasses sauce.  Grilling time can be resumed in my household because nobody likes to grill under the rain and in the cold weather.  London broil is a perfect meat for grilling but the meat can be tough unless it's marinated for several hours.  When it's ready to be eaten, it's best to slice it thinly and across the grain.   Rum, allspice,  and molasses make a good marinade for the meat; the flavors penetrate it fully and gives out mouth watering aroma when the meat is being grilled.  By using lime juice, the meat is guaranteed to be tender and it lends some acidic taste to balance out the sweetness of molasses.

The accompaniments for the grilled meat were Green Beans with Balsamic Butter and Scalloped Potatoes with Crème Fraîche and Gruyère.  Meat and potatoes, my favorite duo :)

Grilled London Broil with Rum Molasses Sauce

Serves 6



6 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes)

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup dark rum

2 tablespoons molasses (not robust)

1 tablespoon habanero pepper sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

2 1/2 pounds top round London broil (1 1/4 inches thick)



Whisk together lime juice, oil, rum, molasses, habanero sauce, salt, pepper, and allspice in a bowl until well combined.  Put steak in a large sealable plastic bag, pour in marinade, and seal bag, pressing out excess air.  Put steak in a shallow pan (in case of leaks) and marinate in refrigerator, turning several times for 12 hours.

Prepare the gas grill for direct-heat cooking over high heat.

Meanwhile, lift steak from marinade, letting excess drip back into bag, and transfer to a tray.  Pour marinade into a small saucepan, bring to a boil over moderately high heat, and boil, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.  Reserve 1/4 cup marinade for basting and set remaining marinade aside for serving with steak.

Oil grill rack.  Pat steak dry and sear, covered, turning once, until grill marks appears on both sides, about 2 minutes total.  Reduce heat to medium and grill steak, covered, turning occasionally, for 8 minutes more.  Baste steak on both sides with reserved 1/4 cup marinade and grill until thermometer inserted horizontally 2 incehs into meat registers 120 degrees F, about 5 minutes more.

Transfer steak to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered with foil, for 5 mintues.  Holding knife at a 45-degree angle, thinly slice steak.  Serve with reserved sauce.



Source:  Gourmet Today