- By Charlotte Brown
- June 17, 2024
BY ALEXANDRE DE RICK, LA MANUFACTURE DU TOUQUET
Makes around fifty shortbread biscuits
CHEF'S TIP: Double cooking, at a low temperature, means identical cooking on the inside and outside.
INGREDIENTS
250 g 82% fat unsalted butter
20 g egg yolk
50 g sugar
75 g blanched almonds
75 g icing sugar
2 g salt
2 g bicarbonate of soda
300 g T55 flour
METHOD:
It's important not to knead the dough too much, mixing lightly each time you add an ingredient.
Place the butter in a mixing bowl. Mix with the yolk and sugar. Coarsely blend the almonds and mix with the icing sugar. Stir into previous mixture.
Add salt and bicarbonate of soda. Stir in flour.
Stop mixing when the mixture has a fine, crumbly texture.
The dough should not be too smooth. Form into a ball and chill for around 30 minutes.
Roll out to thickness of around 1 cm and cut into circles around 4.5 cm in diameter.
Bake for 30 minutes in a convection oven at 125°C, without opening, then leave the oven open for around 30 seconds before baking for a further 5 minutes. The shortbread should be
golden brown.
Alexandre De Rick
LA MANUFACTURE DU TOUQUET
Manufacture du Touquet is a family venture. Alexandre de Rick's grandfather made sweets, and his father and uncle founded the Chocolaterie de Beussent-Lachelle in Pas-de-Calais. Since 2013, the whole family has turned to biscuit-making, with the opening of the fifirst factory in Hardelot. Three years later, a new, larger workshop opened in Le Touquet. Every year, the company produces around forty tonnes of biscuits, both savoury and sweet. Alexandre de Rick reminds us of one of the biscuit factory's hallmarks: handmade, just like at home! The chef uses quality raw materials, sourced locally whenever possible. In the future, Alexandre de Rick would like to review his packaging to make it more eco-friendly and even biodegradable.