Mixed Berry Shortcakes

I've eaten strawberry shortcake many times in my life, but it never occurred to me I wasn't eating traditional strawberry shortcake.   I thought what I was eating was true strawberry shortcake, but now I know I was wrong.  Strawberries with angel food cake and whipped cream do not make strawberry shortcake.  I’m sure some of you are shaking your head at me and my deluded strawberry shortcake past, like my dad’s wife Lynn did on Sunday.  I made these mixed berry shortcakes for dessert on Sunday, and I admitted to Lynn that I'd never had strawberry shortcake with, well um, shortcake before.  Lynn looked at my like I had a third eye, and told me then that I never had strawberry shortcake.  To her angel food cake with strawberries is a delicious dessert, but it's not strawberry shortcake.

I’m glad if I had to wait to try real strawberry shortcake, I waited for this recipe. These shortcakes are delicious.  The biscuits are light and fluffy and slightly sweet.  The berries are delicious, of course, and the sour cream enriched whipped cream tasted almost like cheesecake topping.  I have to admit, I am not a big fan of angel food cake “strawberry shortcake.”  The cake always seemed too sweet to me, but when pushed, my dad admitted though he liked these Mixed Berry Shortcakes, he still prefers angel food cake with his strawberries.  Do you like your strawberry shortcake with angel food cake or shortcakes?  I know I will be making these Mixed Berry Shortcakes from now on.
 

Mixed Berry Shortcakes
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated Summer Entertaining
Printable Recipe

Shortcakes
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in small pieces and chilled, plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
½ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Fruit
6 cups mixed berries (I used hulled, quartered strawberries and whole blueberries)
2-3 tablespoons light brown sugar

Whipped Topping

1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar

Shortcakes
Place an oven rack in the upper middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375°F (I preheat my convection oven to 350°).  Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. 

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse 5 or 6 times, or until no lumps of sugar remain.  Add the chilled butter and pulse 6 to 7 times or until the mixture looks like course meal, and transfer the mixture to a large bowl. 

Whisk the egg and sour cream together in a small bowl.  Stir the egg mixture into the large bowl with the flour mixture.  Stir together with a spatula until large clumps form, and then mix with your hands until the mixture form comes together and no dry flour remains. 

Using a ice cream scoop,  scoop 6 dough balls onto the baking sheet (I used a smaller ice scoop to get 12 biscuit out of the mixture.   Brush the dough balls with melted butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar. 

Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes (15 to 20 minutes for smaller biscuits).

Fruit
Mix the fruit with the 2-3 tablespoons of light brown sugar, and refrigerate until ready to use, or at least 30 minutes.

Whipped Topping
In a medium bowl, beat the cream, sour cream and brown sugar until stiff peaks form. 
Prepare Short Cakes

Split the biscuits with a serrated knife, and place fruit mixture on the bottom half of the biscuit.  Add the whipped topping and the top of the biscuit.  Serves 6.

Baked Oatmeal with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

My baby turned 10 last week, and he wanted a sleepover birthday party.  At first I was reluctant, but my daughter had a slumber party for her 10th birthday, so I could hardly refuse to let my son have one.  I don’t know what I was worried about.  Actually, I know exactly what I was worried about.  My daughter’s sleepover was fraught with crafts and drama, and I just didn’t know how a boy’s party would shake out.  Boy’s parties are much easier than girl’s parties!  The boys came over ate pizza, played hide-and-seek and watched Avatar.  They did stay up too late, but that’s what a sleepover is for, after all.   In the morning they ate breakfast, and went back to playing hide-and-seek.  This was my son’s best party yet…

I know what you’re thinking.  Did she actually serve Baked Oatmeal with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote to a bunch of 10-year-old boys?  No, I made waffles, but I wanted to serve this, if only so I could have it again.  I love strawberries and rhubarb together, and the compote with its sweet tart flavors, was absolutely delicious.  The oatmeal was no slouch in the flavor department either.  The cinnamon and vanilla add a sweetness that enabled me to keep the sugar to a minimum.  I added a tablespoon of maple syrup to a cup of Greek yogurt to top the oatmeal and fruit.  I loved this breakfast, and I want this again now!

Baked Oatmeal with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
Click Here for a Printable Recipe
2 cups steel cut oats
2 quarts water
2 cups milk (I used fat free, but you could use whatever you have on hand)
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
¼ cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
pinch kosher salt

Soak the oats overnight in the 2 quarts of water. 

Preheat the oven to 375°F, and grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.  Drain the oats and pour them into a large bowl.  In a small bowl lightly beat the eggs and egg yolks, and mix into the oats.  Add the milk, brown sugar, canola oil, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and salt.  Mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined.  Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.

Serve with strawberry rhubarb compote and top with yogurt.

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
1 lb Rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch slices
1 lb Strawberries, hulled and quartered
¼ to ½ cup vanilla sugar (I store some sugar with vanilla pods to give the sugar a vanilla flavor.)
juice from 1 orange
1 teaspoon orange zest

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Mix together the rhubarb, sugar, orange juice and orange zest, and place in a non-reactive baking dish and cover.  Bake for 10 minutes, and then add the strawberries.  Cook uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft and the syrup is bubbling.  Serve with ice cream or over baked oatmeal.

Strawberries

In honor of our new family member, Mr. Smiggles, I am posting some strawberry links. Mr. Smiggles (a guinea pig) loves strawberries…

Nicole at Baking Bites has posted a delicious looking strawberry scone recipe. And, her strawberry jam crumb coffee cake looks really good, especially since I have some homemade strawberry jam in the cupboard. Check out her side bar on the right for more strawberry recipes.

Radish at Sassy Radish has a recipe for strawberry shortcake. Her shortcake looks great. I usually use angel food cake, but I would like to try something different.

Food & Wine has a recipe for Chocolate Lava Cake with Strawberries. Wow, lava cake and strawberries…I'm not sure any other words are needed.

I love this time of year when strawberries are in season, but when we were at the farmer’s market last Sunday, my daughter asked when peaches would be in season. I had a sudden intense craving for peaches when she asked that question. I can’t wait for the peaches!