Shortbread from Poitiers, France

How lucky am I!  The husband came back from France with a very special gift from our friend Dominic.  A huge homemade shortbread cookie that is referred to as the true "Crust of Poitou" or Le véritable  "broyé du Poitou".  Dominic was so kind to also include his famous recipe for me to share on my blog.

I noticed that Dominic even customized this cookie for me by inscribing a Canadian maple leaf on the top.  I just had to include a photo of this to share with everyone.  

Once I cut the shortbread, I noticed how thick and moist the interior was.  The taste and aroma of Domi's shortbread is out of this world!  I must say this is the absolute best shortbread I have ever tasted and goodness knows I've sampled my fair share ... Like, who hasn't?

Yes.  I did say I cut it, however, Spice Works says that "traditionally, broyés were broken with a hit of the fist in their center (which broke them in unequal parts). Hitting your broyé with your fist while at your office might be a little too noisy, so you can use your hands or a knife to break it."

My husband also brought back a shortbread from Goulibeur, compliments of our friend Olivier who lives in Poitiers.  He wanted me to compare Dominic's homemade shortbread to Goulibeur's commercially produced shortbread.   Both were different.  Both were very good, but I must admit that Dominic's shortbread impressed me more.

Goulibeur tells the tale of Poitier's shortbread on the back of their box as follows:

In the past, the broyé du Poitou, this flat large crusty shortbread, was baked to celebrate all the farm events:  the harvest, the big cleanup, the weddings...To bake a delightful Broyé du Poitou, you have to mix: wheat, flour, a lot of butter, sugar, fresh eggs and salt - only simple and natural ingredients without any preservative or colourings.  For more than 30 years, Goulibeur is carrying on the traditional recipe inherited from the Grandmother Paulette.

Thank you Dominic and Olivier!  Dominic, for the time you put into making the shortbread and wrapping it in fantastic packaging to ensure it didn't break while on route to Canada and Olivier for sending me Goulibeur's shortbread for comparison.  Thank you both for teaching me something new about Poitiers, France.


Cathy, you're a very lucky woman to have Domi's Cookery in your own home :)

Dominic's Shortbread Recipe:

Le véritable <broyé du Poitou>

The true <crush of Poitou>

INGREDIENTS:

250 grams Flour 

125 grams of Sugar

125 grams Butter

1 Egg

1 pinch of Course Salt or Sea Salt

1. Soften butter and mix with all other ingredients in a bowl.  Mix with hands in order to obtain a firm paste.
2. Put into a round baking dish with a decorative edge.  (Such as a pie plate). 
3. Baste top with milk.
4. Bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees celsius. (400F)