Simply Delicious Shortcakes
(Page 3 of 7)
July/August 2007
Susan Belsinger
Depending on the occasion, biscuit dough can be cut with cookie cutters into heart shapes, shamrocks, teapots, chicks, eggs, flowers, bells, acorns, bats; whatever you fancy. Sometimes, I brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle them lightly with sugar. Of course, both little and big kids like pink sugar on their heart-shaped scones, green sugar on their shamrocks, yellow daisies, etc. Bake biscuits and scones in a hot oven for about 15 to 20 minutes – usually it is about 17 to 18 minutes for the recipes here. Smaller sizes will bake more quickly.
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You can tell when your shortcakes are done by the smell and the appearance – they should smell like biscuits – and they should be golden brown on the top and the bottom. Remove them to a baking rack and allow them to cool for a few minutes; serve warm or let them cool to room temperature. If you cover the biscuits loosely with a cotton or linen kitchen towel while they are cooling, it will keep them from drying out. Store them in a tin, or a heavy plastic bag, if desired. They can be frozen; gently reheat thawed biscuits or scones wrapped in foil at 300ºF for 15 to 20 minutes until warmed through.
In the summertime, I usually prepare the shortcakes in the morning, when it isn’t too hot in the kitchen. Sometimes I slice and macerate the fruit then too, but mostly I do that later in the afternoon since I like it best when it sits for about an hour or two. I prefer not to refrigerate the fruit; if you do, remove it from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving so it’s not icy cold, more like cool room temperature. I often whip the cream in the morning while the shortbreads are baking, refrigerate it, and give it a brief whisking just before serving to fluff it up just a bit.
The recipes here can be mixed and matched. There is a basic biscuit recipe and a basic scone recipe. You can put the strawberry and grenadine topping on either; the peach and blueberry, or the stewed apples will also be delicious with both. These are just a place to start from – experiment and create your own summertime shortcake combinations!
Basic Wholesome Biscuit
This recipe is for a basic all-purpose biscuit. You can add herbs, make it with a little more sugar if you like a sweeter biscuit, or a little less sugar. I like to use part whole-wheat flour in my biscuits to make them more wholesome and toothsome. (All whole wheat would make a biscuit that’s too crumbly.) If you prefer, use all unbleached flour.
Makes 1 dozen 2 1/2-inch rounds
1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup buttermilk
Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly butter a baking sheet; set aside.
In bowl or food processor, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Cut butter into mixture until it becomes coarse meal. Add buttermilk to dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Do not over mix.
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