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Our good friend Chef Scott Peacock stopped in to show us his version of this American classic. Delicious, ripe berries in season are showcased with a splash of bourbon and a tender, delicate cream biscuit. Surely Scott is the master of proper biscuit making technique.
Scott likes to use homemade baking powder in his biscuits to avoid a slightly metallic flavor he detects in the store-bought version, but the latter works too.
Try to use berries the day they are picked for best flavor. If storing berries, however, spread them in a single layer in a moisture-proof container and keep them in the refrigerator. Berries of any kind should be washed just before using; humidity causes berries to spoil more rapidly.
SHORTCAKES
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon homemade baking soda (recipe follows) or regular baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
¼ cup (½ stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
½-¾ cup heavy cream
½ cup crushed Cardamom-Scented Sugar Cubes (recipe follows)
BERRIES
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 cups strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and sliced lengthwise
¼-½ cup sugar
Small pinch coarse salt
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
WHIPPED CREAM
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. To make shortcakes, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using your fingers or two forks, quickly work butter into mixture until it is the texture of oatmeal with some larger lumps remaining. Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour in ½ cup of heavy cream. Stir just until blended, adding more cream if dough is crumbly and dry.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead 5-6 times. Roll dough to thickness of ½ inch. Prick surface of dough with a floured dinner fork at 1-inch intervals, being sure fork pierces completely through the dough. With floured 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut rounds of dough, plunging straight down through dough without twisting cutter.
3. Transfer rounds to a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with crushed sugar cubes. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until light golden, about 8-12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
4. Tackle the berry mixture such that it can rest 10 minutes before using. Gently rinse blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries, drain well, and transfer to a bowl. Add strawberries, sprinkle with ¼ cup sugar, and toss gently. Taste for sweetness, adding more sugar if desired. Sprinkle bourbon over berries, toss lightly, and let sit.
5. Just before serving, whisk cream, sugar, and vanilla until thickened; it should barely mound and just hold its shape without peaking. Split each biscuit and spoon some berries over bottom half. Add some whipped cream to each and cover with top half of biscuits. Serve immediately.
Serves 6-8.
HOMEMADE BAKING POWDER (optional)
¼ cup cream of tartar
2 tablespoons baking soda
Sift ingredients together 3 times and transfer to clean, tight-sealing jar. Store at room temperature away from sunlight for up to 6 weeks.
CARDAMOM-SCENTED SUGAR CUBES
30 whole green cardamom pods
12 ounces sugar cubes
Use a rolling pin to crush cardamom pods in their husks. Layer crushed pods and sugar cubes in a 1-quart glass jar. Seal jar tightly and store in a cool dark place for 2 weeks before using.
Adapted from The Gift of Southern Cooking by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock
Special Thanks:
Scott Peacock
Watershed Restaurant
406 West Ponce De Leon Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
404-378-4900
http://www.watershedrestaurant.com