Crumble Topped Shortbread With Blueberry Curd

I decided to make a variant on shortbread today.  A shortbread with a layer of blueberry curd and topped with more shortbread to form a crumble topping.

Of course any curd would do, and it isn’t necessary to make your own, shop bought curd, particularly lemon or orange would do very nicely.  But since I had blueberries waiting to be used I thought I would try to make a curd with them.

Since blueberries don’t have a particularly strong flavour sometimes I also added a drop of lemon juice to add just a little extra tang to the curd.  I also cut down on the amount of sugar usually used when making curd, since the blueberries would not be at tart on the tongue as something like lemons.

Once the curd was made and cooling in the fridge it was simple to make the shortbread mix and bake the lower layer in the oven ready to be topped with the curd.

Once the shortbread is baked and then cooled for a few minutes it is covered with the curd and the remaining shortbread mixture is put over the top and pressed down very slightly.  Then it is baked in the oven again to finish it all off.

The result is a lovely shortbread, with the familiar texture and with a delicous hit of the curd as well.

This really has worked well, so I am pleased with the result and am sure to try it with orange of lemon in the future.

I recommend this recipe, but remember you can make it easier, and much quicker, if you use a shop bought curd of your preferred flavour.

• 200g blueberries(will give you about 130g of blueberry puree)
• 70g unsalted butter
• 70g caster sugar
• 1 large egg(extra large in USA), lightly beaten
• 1 tsp lemon juice(optional)

For the shortbread:

• 350g plain flour
• 50g cornflour
• 130g caster sugar
• 290g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Method:

1. Place the blueberries in a saucepan with a couple of teaspoon of water.
2. Heat until the water starts to boil then simmer gently until the blueberries soften and release juice.
3. Strain the blueberries into a bowl, using a spoon to push the juice and pulp through a sieve.
4. Be sure to scrape the pulp from the underside of the sieve.
5. Place the blueberry puree into a boil over a pan of simmering water, ensuring that the water doesn’t touch the bowl.
6. Add the lemon juice, sugar and butter and stir until all has dissolved.
7. Add the beaten egg and stir continuously until the mixture thickens up.
8. Remove from the heat and pass through a sieve to remove any bits.
9. Set aside to cool, covering with plastic wrap, that is touching the surface to avoid skin forming,
10. Refrigerate to cook completely while you make the shortbread.
11. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F
12. In a bowl mix the flour, cornflour and sugar together.
13. Add the cold butter and rub between your fingers until the mixture is like breadcrumbs.
14. Place two thirds of the mixture into a greased 8 inch square cake tin, level off and press down lightly.
15. Prick all over the surface with a fork.
16. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until it looks almost done but is not browning.
17. Remove from the oven and cool for a couple of minutes.
18. Srpead about 6 tablespoons of the blueberry curd over the surface of the shortbread.
19. Sprinkle the remaining shortbread mixture over the top of the curd and press down very lightly.
20. Bake in the oven for a further 15-20 minutes until the top is cooked and beginning to brown slightly.
21. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing from the cake tine and cuttuing into equal sized pieces.
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