Foxfield, Part 1

Have I told you that I went to the University of Virginia as an undergrad? Well, I did. I am a Hoo and proud of it! UVA is a great school with lots of traditions—one of which is the Foxfield Races. Every April thousands of students, alumni, and residents of Charlottesville descend upon a great big field outside of town to tailgate and watch some horses occasionally run by.  But mostly to tailgate.  Surprisingly, I have been to Foxfield more times since I graduated from college than when I was actually there (I did not attend my first year at UVA because I did not really understand what all the fuss was about, nor did I attend my fourth year because I was in a play and I didn’t think that tailgating all day before that night’s show was the most prudent idea!).  We took a break from the festivities last year and I wondered if we were getting too old to dear ol’ Foxfield.

The answer, apparently, is no. This Saturday Jason and I will be standing in a field (probably in the rain) and reliving my college years with friends, food, and drink.  After many stressful work weeks, I think this is exactly what I need to let go and let loose.

My friend Stephanie has been the driving force behind Foxfield this year. She has organized everything to a “T.” I felt pretty guilty for being mostly incommunicado during all of the planning (to be honest, Foxfield really snuck up on me this year with all of the traveling), so last week I asked her if I could bring a couple of items. We settled on a pasta salad and some sort of dessert.

Planning food for Foxfield (or any tailgate really) requires something that can withstand the elements, whether they be heat, rain, or sun (or all of the above). That means no dairy or anything else that could melt or get soggy.  After much debating, I decided to try a recipe for Toasted Coconut Shortbread I had seen previously on SmittenKitchen. Shortbread is generally a pretty sturdy cookie so I thought it would hold up well outside. And the idea of coconut seemed sort of Spring-y which is usually what I think of when I think of Foxfield.  It sounded perfect.

For those of you who have never made shortbread—it is really a cinch.  All you do is mix butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and flour together. Voila—you have shortbread! The tweak in this recipe was adding crushed toasted coconut to the dough.  The result was a lightly sweet, buttery cookie with a hint of coconut goodness.  I hope it will become a Foxfield favorite!

Toasted Coconut Shortbread
Adapted from SmittenKitchen

Ingredients:
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
¾ cup (or 1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature *
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt (would want to increase to ¾ teaspoon if you are using coarse salt)
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
* It is really important that your butter is soft. I let mine sit out for about 3 hours before I starting cooking.

1.Preheat oven to 325. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread coconut evenly over the top. Bake until coconut is lightly golden, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Cool completely. Then place coconut into a plastic sealable bag and crush until coarsely ground (you can also do in a blender or food processor if you want it more finely ground).
2.Using an electric or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until well blended. Mix in salt and vanilla. Add flour in two additions. Mix in toasted coconut. Gather the dough together and wrap in plastic. You can either flatten into a disc (if you want to roll out and use cookie cutters or to cut into rectangles) or shape it into a log so you can do it slice and bake style (which is what I did). Chill for at least 1 hour (but I’d recommend a little bit longer especially if you want to do slice and bake).
3.Preheat oven to 325. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (or reuse the one you used for the coconut like I did). Cut out your cookies using whatever method you prefer (if you choose to roll out the dough and use cookie cutters, make sure you roll it out to about ¼ inch thickness on a lightly floured surface). Transfer cookies to baking sheet(s), spacing an inch or so apart.
4.Bake until a light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet(s) for 10 minutes and then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Next on the Foxfield menu…Gazpacho Pasta Salad!