- 255g/9oz plain flour
- 225g/8oz parmesan (or a vegetarian alternative), grated
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 200g/7oz cold butter
- 1 free-range egg yolk
- large knob of butter
- 2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp red wine
- 150g/5oz mild goats' cheese
- 1-2 tbsp milk
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the parmesan shortbreads, sift the flour into a bowl with the parmesan, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Grate the cold butter into the dry ingredients and rub together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the egg yolk and mix together to form a firm dough. Form into a ball, wrap with cling film and chill in the fridge for two hours.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/355F/Gas 4.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out to a thickness of about 0.5cm/¼in on a floured work surface.
- Using a star-shaped cutter, cut out 40 large (6cm/2½in diameter) or 60 small (4.5cm/2in diameter) shortbread stars, or a mixture of sizes. Place the shortbread stars onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until golden-brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. They'll keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- For the red onion marmalade, melt the butter in a small pan, add the red onions, thyme and red wine and cook over a very low heat for 20-30 minutes, or until the red wine has completely reduced, the onions have caramelised and the marmalade is thick and sticky. Leave to cool.
- Meanwhile, for the creamed goats' cheese, place the goats' cheese into a food processor and blend with enough milk to form a smooth, thick paste. If you don't have a food processor, mix until smooth in a bowl.
- To serve, spread or pipe a small amount of creamed goats' cheese onto each shortbread star. Top with a little red onion marmalade and serve at once.