Port And Sesame Biscuits Recipes

Steps:

• Beat butter and sugar in a bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
• Beat in spices and egg yolks until smooth.
• Stir in sifted flour and lemongrass.
• Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
• Roll dough between two sheets of baking paper until 5mm think; refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Preheat oven to 160°C Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Using a cookie cutter, cut shapes out from the dough. Roll up remaining dough and repeat procedure.
• Place on baking tray about 5 cm apart.
• Bake for about 12-15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.
• While the cookies are cooling, make the sesame seed topping.
• Toast the sesame seeds on the oven at 200°C for about 5 minutes. Watch carefully just in case they toast quicker than 5 minutes.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, dissolve sugar and water just until the sugar begins to turn brown, remove from heat.
• Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the cookies with the sugar syrup.
• Turn the cookies, sugar side down onto the sesame seeds and make sure they are coated evenly. Return to wire rack to set.
• After you have coated all the cookies with sesame seeds, use the remaining sugar syrup to gently coat the tops of the cookies to seal the seeds.

Steps:

• Pulse flour and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle cheese into mixture and pulse a few times to incorporate. Transfer mixture to a work surface (it will be crumbly) and knead briefly to distribute ingredients (do not overwork), then press together to form a dough and roll into a 7-inch log (about 2 inches in diameter). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Put oven rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a large baking sheet.
• Put sesame seeds on a plate. Cut dough into scant 1/4-inch-thick slices with a thin sharp knife, then gently press both sides of each biscuit in sesame seeds to coat and arrange 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet.
• Bake until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool biscuits on baking sheet on a rack 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer with a spatula to rack to cool completely.