Simply Delicious Shortcakes
(Page 5 of 7)
July/August 2007
Susan Belsinger
Although these are a bit unusual, they are a darned tasty combination. These biscuits are not really sweet – so don’t expect a brownie. The cocoa whipped cream is wickedly decadent so plain fruit without sweetener or syrup works best. Both fresh raspberries and ripe sliced bananas are naturally great partners with the chocolate.
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Makes about 1 dozen 21/2-inch rounds
Shortcakes:
2 cups unbleached white flour
6 tablespoons cocoa
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Heat oven to 400°F.
In bowl or food processor, combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Cut butter into mixture until it becomes coarse meal. Mix milk and vanilla together. Add milk to dry ingredients and mix until just coming together. Sprinkle in chocolate chips and mix until blended. Do not over mix.
Turn dough onto floured surface and knead 8 or 10 times, adding a little flour if needed. Roll dough to about 3/4-inch thickness. Using 2 1/2-inch diameter cutter, cut out rounds, using all the dough. Place rounds of dough on baking sheet.
Bake biscuits in center of oven for 20 to 22 minutes; they need to cook a little longer since they are dense and have chocolate chips in them. Cool biscuits for at least 5 minutes before splitting open; they are best served warm, but room temperature is fine.
Cocoa Whipped Cream:
1 pint heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
In deep bowl, combine whipping cream and cocoa; whisk to blend in cocoa. Cover and refrigerate for one hour or overnight.
Whisk cream until it just starts to thicken and add sugar. Whisk until soft peaks form. Whisk in vanilla extract.
Serve a dollop on each chocolate biscuit and garnish with sliced ripe bananas or red ripe raspberries. The cream can be made in advance and kept in the fridge – if it gets a little thin, just whisk it again.
Peaches and Blueberries with Lemon Balm Syrup
Peaches or nectarines are wonderful on shortcakes – they can stand alone, but are lovely when combined with blueberries or raspberries. The lemon balm syrup is delightful with any fruit. You can also try bergamot, orange mint or lemon verbena. If you don’t have any herbs, make the syrup with about 11/2 teaspoons lemon zest and add just a tiny splash of pure vanilla extract or a few gratings of nutmeg.
Makes enough fruit for 12 shortcakes
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