Preheat oven to 350 deg F
In a small bowl, whisk together paprika, 2 ts salt,
and 1 ts cayenne and set aside.
In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter with
sugar until light and fluffy. In another bowl, whisk
together remaining 1/2 ts salt, remaining 1/8 ts
cayenne, flour, curry powder, and cumin. Beat flour
mixture into butter mixture until just combined. On a
lightly floured surface, knead dough about 8 times, or
until it just comes together. Divide dough into 4
equal pieces. On a sheet of wax paper, roll each piece
of dough into a 3/4-inch thick log. Sprinkle one
quarter of spice mixture along the length of each log
and roll in mixture to coat completely. Wrap each log
in wax paper. Freeze dough just until firm, 15 to 20
minutes. Shortbread dough may be made 1 week ahead and
frozen. Before proceeding with recipe, remove dough
from freezer and let stand about 15 minutes, or until
slightly softened to facilitate slicing. Remove logs
carefully from wax paper and slice into 1/2-inch thick
rounds. Place rounds 1/4-inch apart on ungreased
baking sheets and bake in batches in middle of oven 15
minutes, or until browned lightly.
Gently loosen shortbread bites with a spatula from
baking sheet (do not remove from sheet) and cool
completely. Carefully transfer shortbread bites to a
serving dish (they will be fragile) and serve as hors
d'oeuvre. Makes about 140 shortbread bites.
