September 22, 2005
Petticoat Tails
Obtain a suitable petticoat or half-slip. Cut a peice of stiff craft wire one third as long as the petticoat. Form a small eye at one end of the wire and stitch it to the waistband of the petticoat. Twist the fabric about the wire, and down to the other end, leaving only the lace at the hemline untwisted, and fasten with a running baste spiraling opposite the twist. Attach to the costume by stitching thru the eye and the base of the tail, and form the wire so as to give a suitable lilt.
But seriously, folks, there is in fact a Scottish shorbread cookie known as petticoat tails. The name was generated by translinguification from the French "Petits Gateaux Tailles" meaning "little thingumabobs".
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons whole milk
2 teaspoon caraway seeds
Instructions
Mix caraway seeds and salt with flour. Melt butter in milk, heating gently and stirring occasionally. Remove from heat as soon as butter has melted. Make a well in center of flour, pour in liquid, add sugar. Blend completely, then gently knead by hand until the dough forms into a flattened ball. Wrap the dough in plastic; refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll the dough into a circle about 1/4 inch thick. With your fingers, flute the outside rim of the circle as you would the edge of a pie crust, so that it looks like the ruffled edge of a petticoat. Cut out a circle about one third the diameter of the rolled circle from the center of the dough and set aside.
Using a long, sharp knife, cut the fluted ring into quarters, then cut each quarter into four wedges. Flute the edge of the small reserved circle and cut into quarters. Place cookies on a greased paper on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes at 350 F (177 C). Dust with powdered sugar and let cool on a wire rack.
Posted by triticale at September 22, 2005 07:39 PM | TrackBack