This is such a simple summer dessert but really elegant and delicious. The shortcake works really well made with gluten free flour and is there anything simpler or more delicious than a bowl of summer fruit?. The red wine syrup is amazing with the flavours of star anise, clementine and vanilla and works really well with meringues or a fruit parfait.

Shortcake Rounds
100gr plain flour
50gr cornflour
100gr unsalted butter
50gr caster sugar
1oz flaked almonds

Oven at 160C
Mix flour and cornflour together.
Add the butter and sugar and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture is just beginning to come together.
Knead lightly until the mixture forms a smooth dough.
Press flat, wrap in cling and place into the freezer for about 30 minutes
Tip into blender and blend to breadcrumnbs
Tip into baking tin and press flat – cover with some cling film and use a rolling pin to really flatten
Chill until firm then bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes until a very pale golden colour. Mark into circles with a cutter then return to the oven for a final 8 minutes until golden brown
Leave to cool for a few minutes before carefully lifting off onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Red Wine Syrup
.5 bottle full-bodied red wine (Malbec, Zinfandel, Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Rioja)
2/3 cup sugar
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick- broken
1/2 vanilla pod split and seeds and all put in with the wine
Few centimetres of orange or clementine peel

Add everything to a medium pan and heat over medium high. Stir from time to time until the sugar has dissolved then cook down the wine syrup, uncovered, until thick enough to lightly coat a spoon. Pour through a sieve into another container to cool and store in the fridge until needed.

To serve
Add some summer fruit of choice into a bowl and top with some of the syrup
Cover with circle of shortbread, top with some icing sugar and serve immediately