Strawberry Shortcake

One night after a spring training baseball game we walked across the street to Cheesecake Factory and shared a wonderful strawberry shortcake.  It was one of the better shortcakes I've had and found what is supposed to be the recipe.  It makes a lot of shortcakes and ingredients are measured in weight.  I have at times scaled down the recipe to yield about six shortcakes.  The dough was little runnier than when I make the whole recipe but instead of rolling the dough I dropped it for free form shortcakes.  It tasted the same and was actually a few steps easier.  I like to use a good vanilla gelato instead of whipped cream.  Try a little squeeze of lime on the strawberries--it brings out the flavor.  Or add a little minced mint to the berries.

Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients:
For the strawberries:
2 pints strawberries, cored and sliced
4 Tbs sugar or to taste

For the shortcake biscuits
all purpose flour
buttermilk
heavy cream
salt
butter (I use half butter and margarine--I'm not a big fan of butter)
sugar
baking powder

For the Whipped Cream
powdered sugar
heavy cream
vanilla extract

Vanilla gelato or ice cream

Directions:
1.  Wash and drain the strawberries.  Remove the stems and slice.
2.  Put berries in a bowl and add the sugar.  Mix gently.  Chill for about 2 hours.
3.  Mix flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl.  Cut in the butter until the ingredients are crumbly.
4.  Add butter milk and cream and gently mix 20-30 seconds.
5.  Drop dough into 6 rounds.  Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes.  Let cool.
6.  Split biscuits in half.  Place a scoop of ice cream on the bottom.  Spoon strawberries over the ice cream.  Place biscuit top.  Put some whip cream on top if desired.

Blueberry Hand Pies

This is a recipe from William Sonoma and just as they say it will bring back "memories of finding small, individually wrapped pies tucked into your school lunch box."  Don't overfill and I dusted them with sugar as well as drizzled with the frosting.  The filling isn't overly sweet so the extra sugar doesn't mask the fruit filling.

Ingredients:

2 cups blueberries  

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. sugar  

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice (I used lime juice plus the zest) 

2 teaspoons cornstarch  

2 Tbs. water 

Basic Pie Dough for a double-crust pie

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tsp. water  

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups of the blueberries, the 1/4 cup sugar and lemon juice over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the berries begin to give off their juices. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until all of the berries have burst, about 5 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the blueberry mixture and cook until the juices come to a boil and thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup berries. Place the saucepan in a bowl of ice water and let the mixture cool, stirring frequently. 

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Have ready an ungreased rimmed baking sheet. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and dust the top with flour. Roll it out into a rectangle about 20 by 13 inches and 1/8 inch thick. Using a 6-inch saucer as a template, use a paring knife to cut out 6 rounds. Place about 3 tablespoons of the blueberry filling on one half of a round, leaving a 1/2-inch border uncovered. Fold the dough over so the edges meet, then crimp them with a fork. Transfer to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds and filling. Refrigerate the pies for 15 minutes. 

Lightly brush the pies with the egg wash, cut an X in the top of each pie and sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tbs. sugar. Bake the pies until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let the pies cool on the pan on a wire rack, then serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 6 hand pies. 

Variation: To make a simple glaze, sift 1 cup confectioners’ sugar into a bowl and whisk in 1–2 Tbs.water until the mixture has the consistency of a thin icing. Brush the icing over the cooled pies, then let set for a few minutes before serving. 

Blueberry Crostata

Crostata's are one of my favorite quick dessert to make.  I use a pillsbury refrigerated rolled crust. Unroll it and place it in a pie plate. Add whatever fruit is in season and fold the edges over. Bake until the fruit is caramelized and the crust lightly browned. I'm a big fan of using lime with many fruits.

Blueberry Crostata
Ingredients
3 c blueberries, washed and drained and picked over
1 lime or lemon
3 Tb sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 pie crust

Directions
1.  Wash and drain blueberries. I like to use a salad spinner.
2.  Mix the berries with the grated lemon/lime rind and 1/2 lemon/lime juice.
3.  Mix cornstarch and sugar together.  Add to berries and mix well.
4.  Unroll pie crust and lay in pie plate.
5.  Add berries to crust. Fold over edges.
6. Bake at 350 for about 45-50 minutes or until berries are caramelized and crust is lightly browned.   Watch and cover with foil if needed for the last 10 minutes.

Fruit Crisp

One of my first cookbooks other than Joy of Cooking was the New Cook Book from Better Homes and Gardens.  Thirty years later I still have the cookbook.  Over the years I haven't made too many of the recipes.  It is a good reference type cookbook especially for beginners.  But this is one recipe I keep opening the cookbook for.  My version of the recipe doubles the crisp topping.

Fruit Crisp

Ingredients

1 c quick cooking rolled oats

1c packed brown sugar

1/2 c all purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon or try allspice, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg or a combination

dash of salt
1/2 c unsalted butter

2 pounds apples (6 medium apples) or 2 1/2 pounds peaches (10 medium)

1/2 c granulated sugar--more or less depending on the sweetness of the fruit
1 Tbs lemon juice

Directions

Combine oats, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon and dash of salt.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles  coarse crumbs.  Set aside.  Peel, core, and slice fruit to make 5 to 6 cups.  Place fruit in a buttered 10x6x2 inch or 10 inch round baking dish.  Sprinkle with granulated sugar.  Add lemon juice and mix. Sprinkle crumb mixture over top.  Bake in 350 oven for 40 to 45 minutes.  Serve with ice cream.  Serves 6.

Try these combos
Peach + blueberry+ allspice
Pear + cranberry + cinnamon
Apricot + raspberry + ginger
Blueberry + lime zest + cardamom