strawberry rhubarb cardamom shortcake. maple whip cream.

Nothing signals the beginning of summer for me like strawberry shortcake. I love the smell of strawberries and sun!

This is  an adapted twist on the classic. The cream biscuits have just  hint of cardamom and the rhubarb adds a bit of tartness to the sometimes cloyingly sweet strawberry. It is topped  with a hit of woodsy maple whip cream!

  Alice Water's Cream Biscuits (With Cardamom)

Adapted from Alice Water's Cream Biscuits The Art of Simple Food

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Stir together in a large bowl.

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon of salt

4 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of cardamom

Add

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold butter

cut into small pieces

Cut the butter into the flour with your fingers or a small pastry blender until they are the size of small peas. Measure:

3/4 cup heavy cream

Remove 1 tablespoon and set aside. Lightly stir in the remainder of the cream with fork until the mixture just comes together. Without overworking it, lightly knead the dough a couple of times in the bowl, turn it out onto a lightly floured board, and roll out about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into eight 1 1/2 inch circles or squares. Rerolll the scraps if necessary.

Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchement paper and lightly brush the tops with the reserved tablespoon of cream and a sprinkle os sugar.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until cooked through and golden.

Strawberry Rhubarb

For the Fruit

Halve 4 cups of  washed strawberries 

Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of sugar and set aside

Cut  2 cups rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces

Sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar

Place rhubarb and sugar mixture in a pot on low heat with 1/4 cup of water

Heat on low stirring occaisionaly until the rhubarb is completely broken down

Add more water if needed

Set aside to cool

Once cool, combine the rhubarb and the strawberries and mix together well. Set aside.

Maple Whip Cream

1 pint of heavy cream

3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup

Whisk  together in a bowl until a light whip cream forms

strawberry shortcake

 

   All Photographs Copyright © 2011 Andrea Gentl all rights reserved

 

Well, someone in my house is feeling better! The magic of medicine can lift a 14 year old from the depths of despair, sick with strep only to be inspired by a photo of strawberry shortcake on the back of a box of bisquick.

The appetite has returned.

Though I pleaded with her to use Alice Waters Cream Biscuit recipe from the Art of Simple Food (my favorite) she refused. She was completely and utterly swayed by the power of advertising. So it is, that she stands in the kitchen cutting up strawberries and humming quietly to herself. 

Tomorrow is another day and I can fight the cream biscuit battle then.

For a more grown up version of a shortcake biscuit, see Alice Waters recipie below.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Stir together in a large bowl.

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon of salt

4 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

Add

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold butter

cut into small pieces

Cut the butter into the flour with your fingers or a small pastry blender until they are the size of small peas. Measure:

3/4 cup heavy cream

Remove 1 tablespoon and set aside. Lightly stir in the remainder of the cream with fork until the mixture just comes together. Without overworking it, lightly knead the dough a couple of times in the bowl, turn it out onto a lightly floured board, and roll out about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into eight 1 1/2 inch circles or squares. Rerolll the scraps if necessary.

Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchement paper and lightly brush the tops with the reserved tablespoon of cream. Bake for 17 minutes or until cooked through and golden.