Sweetbreads, Shortcake, Shortbread

Okay, time to clear up the cookie mix once

and for all

Today I went to a pot luck party. tourtiere suit, a

traditional French-Canadian meatloaf that my grandmother

used to do. One man said, “Oh man… you didn’t bring your

gizzards!” To this I replied, “Nope, that would have been

OFFAL!” No one understood my pun, but I was quite

satisfied with myself.

People call my product (butterbread) all sorts of things.

Let me offer a brief explanation of the difference

between gizzards, lard and lard so that

The next time you place an order, you’ll know what to ask for!

sweetbread They are animal entrails. They are often

made from the thymus or pancreas of a piglet or calf. They

they have nothing to do with shortbread. I have tried gizzards in a

fancy restaurant and I found them quite good. i had to try

them once! I have no idea where the name gizzard

comes from. Vermont Shortbread Company does not

produce gizzards.

Fruit cake it is a sweet cookie. It is typically crumbly

and made with flour, sugar, butter or other fat, milk or

cream and baking soda or baking powder. Strawberry

shortcake (fresh strawberries and whipped cream tossed

on top of one of these cookies) is a favorite summer dessert

for the americans

Shortbread (my gourmet gastronomic product), is a

traditional Scottish cookie made from butter, sugar and

flour. Our Vermont Shortbread Company version contains

lots of butter, giving it a slightly chewy texture. we fill our

butter cookies with jam fillings (raspberry or strawberry),

chocolate, lemon curd, walnut, cinnamon, almond, or leave it

simple without filling (traditional ice cream). I’ve seen

shortbread in many forms – a large round “cake” (we call it a

gift box in VSC) baked in a mold that gives it a nice design

with slotted triangular wedges called petticoat tails, small

round cookies or “fingers” (long rectangular pieces). A

Vermont Shortbread Company, we make a shortie that is

a 4″ round shortbread baked in a tart pan.

In short, lard is an elegant, classic, old

modern and simple dessert that has become a

Christmas favorite for many people, high and low. Enjoy

your sweetbreads and biscuit, but BUY some

Shortbread.

That’s the long and the short.

Copyright 2006, Ann Zuccardy.