Rose-Hibiscus Shortbread Fans

Thanks to my friendship with Pierre Hermé, the fabulous French pastry chef, I fell in love with the flavor of rose in pastry. It was Pierre who began using rose in his desserts about twenty years ago, and now you find it everywhere in France and in everything from granola and yogurt to the fanciest cakes. It’s a haunting flavor and one that blends beautifully with red berries and another red flower, hibiscus. There’s just one caveat: A flavor as strong and aromatic as rose (particularly when it’s an extract) must whisper — never proclaim — its presence. Too much rose is really too much. Actually, too much hibiscus is not a good thing either. Go easy on both flavorings, though, and you’ll have an elegant cookie.The key to the delightfully crumbly texture, the kind you get with Scottish shortbread, is rice flour, which has little gluten and no distinguishable flavor; it’s there just for the sandiness it imparts.I like to press the dough into a round cake pan, then cut the baked cookies into wedges, ice them and sprinkle each shortbread fan with a few grains of rose-colored sanding sugar. It’s a girly look, but it’s so pretty and particularly welcome on a chilly day when you’re yearning for spring.A word on special ingredients: My favorite rose extract is made by Star Kay White. If you can’t find it, you can substitute an equal amount of rose water (Nielsen-Massey sells a lovely one). If you can’t find a pure hibiscus tea (I use one from the Wild Hibiscus Flower Co.), you can use Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger. Finally, the rice flour should be white rice flour, not sweet or sticky rice flour; Bob’s Red Mill sells it. If you’d prefer a recipe that uses only all-purpose flour, see Playing Around.Recipe excerpted from Dorie Greenspan’s newest cookbook Dorie’s Cookies. Click here to purchase your own copy.