Plum Tahini Shortcakes Recipes

ROASTED PLUM SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• For the shortcake biscuits: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt. Whisk to combine and evenly distribute the leavening. Add the shortening and butter and toss to coat the fat just a bit with the flour. Using your fingertips, gently work the fats into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with some pea-size chunks of fat.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg, and add this to the flour mixture. Stir together with a wooden spoon. Then, gently work through the mixture with your hands to separate any wet patches and bring the dough together.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, fold it over a few times and knead gently until it just holds together. Pat the dough into a rough 1/2-inch-tall rectangle. Cut out biscuits with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Pat the scraps together and cut an additional biscuit. You should have 6 to 8 biscuits. Evenly space the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Set aside.
• For the roasted plums: Pour the butter into a shallow baking dish and tip from side to side to coat the bottom. Add the maple syrup and orange juice, swirling to "stir" the mixture. Line the baking dish with the plums, flesh-side down.
• Bake both the biscuits and plums for about 20 minutes. Remove the biscuits when golden brown. Continue to cook the plums until the juices have thickened, about another 15 minutes. Cool completely before assembling.
• For the whipped cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until medium peaks form.
• To assemble: Split four of the biscuits horizontally in half; reserve the remaining biscuits for another use (see Cook's Note). Place the bottom of each biscuit on a serving plate. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream, followed by a few plum slices and their juices. Top with the biscuit tops.

OATMEAL SHORTCAKES WITH SPICED PLUMS

Steps:

• Make shortcakes:
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Using fingertips, rub in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk; stir until dough forms.
• Drop dough onto prepared baking sheet, forming six 2 1/2-inch-diameter biscuits and spacing 3 inches apart. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar. Bake until biscuits are golden and tester inserted into biscuit comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to rack. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cool. Store airtight at room temperature.)
• Make fruit:
• Combine plums, 1/3 cup sugar, lemon juice, ginger and cinnamon in heavy medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until plums release their juices but are still firm, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add butter. Stir until butter melts. Cool slightly.
• Using electric mixer, beat cream and powdered sugar in large bowl until stiff peaks form. Using serrated knife, slice off top 1/3 of biscuits. Transfer biscuit bottoms to plates. Spoon half of plum mixture over biscuits. Spoon whipped cream atop plum mixture. Spoon remaining plum mixture atop cream, dividing equally. Place biscuit tops over plum mixture. Serve immediately.

ROASTED PLUMS WITH TAHINI DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the fruit, cut side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and season well with the salt and pepper to taste.
• Sprinkle the fruit with all but a pinch of the fresh herbs. Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 250°F. Roast until the fruit is very soft and juicy and starting to caramelize, about 2 hours. (Alternatively, turn off the oven after 1 hour and leave the fruit in the oven overnight. This will produce a more leathery result. Either way is good!)
• In a medium bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice, the tahini, 3/4 cup water, salt, and the ice cube. Whisk vigorously until the mixture comes together. It should lighten in color and thicken enough that it holds an edge when the whisk is dragged through it.
• Remove the ice cube if any remains unmelted and adjust the seasoning, adding more lemon juice and salt until the sauce is addictive-you will know. Scrape the sauce into a shallow serving dish and hide it from the eaters in your house until ready to serve.
• Layer a plate with the roasted fruit, then drizzle with the tahini dressing. Sprinkle with the reserved fresh thyme or oregano and a pinch of flaky sea salt.

PLUM AND BLACK CHERRY BUTTERMILK SHORTCAKES WITH GINGER CARDAMOM WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• For the buttermilk shortcakes: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Chill 2 large mixing bowls, a pastry cutter, the flour and cubed butter in the freezer for 15 minutes before assembling the shortcakes.
• Add the flour to one of the chilled mixing bowls. Working quickly, cut the butter into the flour using the chilled pastry cutter (or your fingers); the goal here is pea-size balls of butter. In batches, add the buttermilk until the dough is cohesive yet still moist. (You may not need all of it.) Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and lightly press into a 1-inch-thick round. Using a 4-inch biscuit cutter or the business end of a dry measuring cup, cut out 8 biscuits.
• Preheat a cast iron skillet in the oven for 5 minutes.
• Swirl the oil in the bottom of the skillet and gently arrange the biscuits in the skillet, making sure they are all nestled up against each other tightly.
• Brush the tops with the melted butter and sprinkle with the sanding sugar. Bake until the tops are just slightly golden brown, about 15 minutes.
• For the plums and cherries: Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the plums, cherries, granulated sugar, lemon zest and juice, ginger and cinnamon. Cook, stirring very gently as the fruit releases its juice, until the fruit is slightly soft, a few minutes. Take off the heat and add the butter. Gently stir until melted.
• For the ginger cardamom whipped cream: In the other cold bowl, mix together the cream, granulated sugar, vanilla, cardamom and ginger. Beat to medium peaks.
• For assembly: Split a warm shortcake with a fork. Place the bottom on a plate or shallow bowl and spoon on some of the warm plum and cherry mixture. Dollop on some whipped cream and sprinkle with some candied walnuts. Top with the top of the shortcake. Spoon on some more of the warm plum and cherry mixture, dollop on more whipped cream and sprinkle with more candied walnuts. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 7 more.

WONTON PLUM SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in the butter warmer or saucepan.
• Halve and pit each plum, and slice each half into 6 wedges. Place the wedges, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and the ginger in one of the bowls and toss to combine.
• Brush both sides of each wonton wrapper with a little melted butter. Place on the baking sheet and sprinkle them with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Bake until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Watch them carefully; after they brown, they will burn quickly.
• Combine the heavy cream, vanilla, and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in the other bowl and whip with the mixer until soft peaks form.
• To assemble the dessert, place 1 wonton on each of the dessert plates. Place 3 plum slices on top of each wonton, and top with a dollop of the whipped cream. Lay the remaining 4 wontons on top of each pile of fruit and cream, and place 3 plum slices and a dollop of whipped cream on the second wonton. Serve immediately.

SPICED PLUM SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk first 6 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add half and half; stir just until dough forms. Gather dough into ball with floured hands. Gently knead 8 times against side of bowl. Roll out dough on floured surface to 3/4-inch-thick round. Using 3-inch-diameter cookie cutter, cut out 5 biscuits; place on ungreased baking sheet. Gather dough and reroll as needed to make 1 more biscuit. Bake biscuits until pale golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool 20 minutes. (Biscuits can be made 8 hours ahead; cool completely and store in airtight container at room temperature.)
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add plums and sugar. Cook until sugar dissolves and becomes syrupy and plums are just tender, stirring constantly, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon and ground ginger. Cool 5 minutes. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature; rewarm before serving.)
• Using electric mixer, beat cream in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Add 2 teaspoons powdered sugar and beat to firm peaks. Fold in crystallized ginger.
• Cut biscuits in half; place bottom halves on 6 dessert plates. Top with warm plums, then cream. Cover with biscuit tops. Sift powdered sugar over.

WARM PLUM SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats). In a large bowl combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the butter and using your fingers work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds to the heavy cream, and set aside the pod. Add the heavy cream to the flour mixture, and stir to combine.
• On a lightly floured surface, pat out dough, 3/4-inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch cutter to cut into 12 rounds. Place on prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1-inch between biscuits. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 25 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Can be made ahead and frozen, in a resealable plastic bag, for up to 1 month.
• In a medium skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and vanilla pod. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Add plums and cook, stirring, until plums are slightly softened and heated through, about 4 minutes. Discard vanilla pod.
• Split cooled biscuits horizontally. Top with plums and whipped cream. Serve immediately.