Grevin Shortbread

Some of you may remember my report on the pastry shop “Le Valentin” already two years ago. I had been received for several days to learn and watch. A real privileged moment. I still have in my reserves many recipes that they had given me with their agreement to diffuse them here. I am posting today the recipe of their emblematic shortbread, because it is right next to the Grévin museum: the Grévin shortbread! I have known him for years and even went to this bakery more than 10 years ago to devour him. I give you the real recipe here. This wonderful shortbread with its hazelnut, lemon, pistachio, caramel and walnut flavors won’t last long before our hungry stomachs! 

Grevin shortbread recipe:

For a 30x40cm plate.

Dough:

-225g of butter

-125g powdered sugar

-250g of flour

-125g of hazelnut powder

-5g of cinnamon

-75g of egg

-1 lemon peel

Caramel:

-100g butter

-30g of water

-30g of liquid cream

-75g of honey

-175g of sugar

-125g of chopped nuts or pecans

-125g of pistachios

Put the hazelnut powder, flour, powdered sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl. 

Add the butter cut into pieces. 

Mix well with the sheet (the “k” of the robot) or with your fingertips until you obtain a sandy mixture .

To weigh 75g of egg, simply put two eggs in a bowl and beat them into an omelette. 

Then pour them on the sandy mixture by weighing the 75g. 

Add lemon zest. 

Then mix again just until the dough comes together. 

Wrap the dough in cling film and place in a flattened ball in a cool place for one hour. 

When the dough has hardened, roll it out on a sheet of parchment paper into a 30x40cm sheet.

Note from Bernard: this dough is rich in butter, so it is quite difficult to spread: it sticks. Just chill it when it gets too sticky and help yourself to a little flour.

Put the dough in the oven at 180°C for 25 minutes to cook it well. 

Meanwhile, prepare the caramel: heat the honey in a saucepan.

When the honey boils, add the sugar in three additions, letting it melt and caramelize at each addition. 

We then obtain a beautiful caramel. 

In another saucepan, bring the cream, water and butter to a boil. 

Pour the caramel into the butter-cream.

Bring this caramel to 116°C.

Pour the caramel over the baked pastry (it should be golden: on the picture it is not, it should look like a baked shortbread).

Spread the caramel over the entire surface of the shortbread.

Sprinkle with dried fruit: chopped nuts or pecans.

And the pistachios. At Valentin, they use crushed pistachios. I had whole pistachios and the result was delicious !

Return to the oven at 180°C for about ten minutes.

The Grévin shortbread is ready ! Cut into squares of desired size.