Simply Delicious Shortcakes
(Page 2 of 7)
July/August 2007
Susan Belsinger
The tart sweetness of strawberries is the perfect counterpoint to a not-too-sweet biscuit. Once sliced and sprinkled lightly with sugar, syrup or liqueur, the berries give off their juice, which moistens the shortcake just the right amount. Any ripe fruit will do this: Peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries are all luscious toppings for shortcakes. Occasionally, I add herbs such as lemon balm, lemon verbena, basil, Monarda, mint, scented geranium or lavender flowers while the fruit and sugar are macerating. It is OK if you have a good cup or so of juicy syrup with your fruit – that is what you want to drizzle over the shortcake. However, sometimes when the fruit is just perfect, it needs no sweetener at all.
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Freshly whipped cream, still a little soft, not quite stiff so that it peaks, is the crowning touch to this dessert. Cream whips faster and is more voluminous if both the bowl and the whisk are chilled beforehand; this is especially important in hot weather. I sweeten mine with a little sugar and just a hint of vanilla. Sometimes I infuse herb sprigs in the cream for an hour or even overnight before whipping it. I press the essence out of the leaves and remove them before whipping. As you can see in the recipe included, cocoa can make a most decadent whipped cream.
Basic shortbread technique
Biscuits and scones are among the easiest and simplest things that you can bake. From start to finish, it takes about half an hour, in a preheated oven. It is a tried and true formula – measure the dry ingredients and toss them together, then cut cold butter into little bits and cut into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or two kitchen knives. One thing I do once my butter has been cut into small pieces is, working quickly, I use my hands to find the butter pieces and flatten them out between my thumbs and forefingers. I find that this quick little step (you don’t want to overwork the dough) gives me a flaky biscuit.
Next, add the milk, buttermilk or cream; I am very fond of buttermilk in my biscuits and scones. Also, you can use less butter and still get good flavor when you use buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk, just mix regular milk with 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice, stir, and let stand for 5 minutes – and you have clabbered milk. If I am adding chopped herbs, bits of candied ginger or citrus zest, I usually add it to the liquid. Work quickly to incorporate the liquid into the dough; I usually use a fork. At a certain point, set aside the fork and use your hands. I turn the slightly sticky dough out onto a lightly floured surface, lightly flour my hands and knead gently until the dough just comes together. Do not overwork the dough or you will have a tough biscuit or scone.
Although you can pat the dough out, I think that the pressure of rolling the dough makes for flakier layers. The dough should not be more than an inch thick and not less than a half-inch thick – about three-quarters of an inch is what I aim for. I like to make a round dough and then cut it into eight equal wedges, especially when preparing scones. My standard biscuit cutter is 2 1/2 inches in diameter, which is an ideal size. When I make little biscuits, I cut them into squares or diamonds using my pizza cutter.
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