Spiced Shortcakes With Minted Peaches Recipes

SPICED PEACHES

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring the first five ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes. Add peaches; simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. , Pour into a shallow dish. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight. Drain. Spoon peaches into serving dishes; garnish with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with brown sugar.

SOUTHERN PEACH SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly butter a 9-inch cast iron skillet and set aside. Reserve remaining butter.
• Combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in 1/2 cup cold butter with a pastry knife until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour in milk and stir just until the dough starts to come together.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Divide ball in half and lightly knead each half. Gently roll each half into a 9-inch circle.
• Place 1 dough circle into the prepared skillet, and dot with reserved butter. Place second dough circle on top of the butter pieces, and place the skillet in the center of the preheated oven.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is lightly browned, 22 to 25 minutes.
• While the shortcake is baking, prepare peaches. Slice 1 peach, toss with 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and set aside. Chop the remaining peaches, yielding about 4 cups, and toss with remaining lemon juice.
• Turn shortcake out onto a rack to slightly cool, about 5 minutes. Slice in half crosswise, using the edge of the second layer as a guide. Place bottom half on a serving plate, cut side up.
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup white sugar on a plate and lightly mash 2 cups of peaches into the sugar. Spread out mashed peaches and sugar over the shortcake layer on the serving plate. Cover mashed peaches with the second shortcake layer, cut side up.
• Toss remaining chopped peaches with remaining sugar and distribute on top of the second layer. Toss peach slices in any remaining juice, and place in a decorative pattern on top of the shortcake.

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.

SPICED SHORTCAKES WITH MINTED PEACHES

Steps:

• Make filling: In a small saucepan of boiling water blanch peach 1 minute and drain. Peel and pit peach and slice thin. In a small bowl toss peach slices with sugar, mint, and lemon juice.
• Make shortcakes: Preheat oven to 425°F.
• In a small bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and a pinch salt. Add cream and stir with a fork until mixture just forms a dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and with floured hands pat into a 6- by 3-inch rectangle. With a sharp knife trim edges and halve dough crosswise to form two 3-inch squares.
• Arrange dough squares 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in middle of oven until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. (Squares will spread more than they will rise.) Transfer shortcakes to a rack and cool 10 minutes.
• Make whipped cream: In a small bowl with an egg beater or electric mixer beat cream with sugar until it just holds soft peaks and beat in vanilla.
• Split shortcakes with a serrated knife and put a bottom half on each of 2 plates. Top with peaches and any liquid, whipped cream, and shortcake tops.

PEACH SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• For the marinated peaches: Mix together the granulated sugar, orange liqueur, basil and orange zest in a bowl. Add the peaches and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• For the sweet biscuits: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a bowl, mix together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter until it is incorporated. Mix the buttermilk and vanilla together in a small pitcher. Slowly add the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture, stirring the contents of the bowl as you do so, until just combined.
• Form 6 biscuits and place them into a cast-iron skillet. Sprinkle the tops generously with coarse sugar. Bake until golden brown, 24 to 26 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
• For the whipped cream: Using an electric mixer, whisk together the heavy cream and granulated sugar until soft peaks form.
• To serve, halve the biscuits, then place the bottom halves on serving plates. Top with the whipped cream and marinated peaches. Rest the biscuit tops on the side so the filling is visible. Garnish with torn basil.

SHORTCAKES WITH GRILLED PEACHES, SWEET RICOTTA CREAM, TRUFFLED HONEY AND HUCKLEBERRIES

Steps:

• For the peaches: Grill the peaches over medium heat until lightly grilled, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Place the honey, lemon juice and truffle oil in a mixing bowl and add the grilled peaches. Toss together to coat well. Let stand until juices form, about 30 minutes.
• For the shortcakes: Put the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Blend in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and stir just until a soft, sticky dough forms.
• Drop the dough in 6 mounds about 2 inches apart on an ungreased large baking sheet and bake until golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a rack and cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
• For the ricotta cream: Beat the cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla in medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold in the ricotta and reserve.
• Using a serrated knife, cut the shortcakes in half horizontally. Place the cake bottom on each of 6 plates. Top each with the sweet ricotta cream and grilled peaches. Cover with the cake tops. Garnish the plates with huckleberries and any reserved truffled peach juices.

BROWN SUGAR SHORTCAKE WITH WARM BOURBON PEACHES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a baking sheet. In a bowl, combine flour, 55 grams of sugar, cornstarch, baking powder and salt, and whisk well. Cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingers. When butter is in pea-size pieces, mix in cream and egg until a soft batter forms.
• Dump batter onto a floured surface and knead until it holds together. Divide batter into 2 pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Press larger piece of dough into a 1/2-inch-thick round, roughly 8 inches in diameter. Place on baking sheet and brush with butter. Press remaining dough into a 1/2-inch-thick round and place on top of first dough round. It should be smaller in size. Brush with butter and sprinkle with more sugar. Bake until shortcake is golden brown and firm to the touch all over, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, prepare the peaches. In a medium skillet, heat bourbon and add 1 tablespoon water and 25 grams of sugar. Cook until sugar dissolves, then add peaches. Let cook until peaches are warmed through and release their juices, about 2 minutes.
• Carefully cut smaller top round off shortcake. Place shortcake bottom on a serving plate and cover with warm peaches and their liquid (reheat fruit if necessary). Spoon whipped cream over peaches and place shortcake top over cream. Serve immediately.

PEACH SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice peaches; sprinkle with kirsch or schnapps, if desired, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the rest of the dry ingredients. Add butter; process with on-off pulses until mixture resembles coarse meal. While pulsing, slowly add enough cream or milk until dough just comes together.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured board, and knead once or twice. Pat into a 3/4-inch-thick square. Trim edges, and cut into four squares. Brush with additional cream or milk; sprinkle with sugar.
• Place on a lightly buttered baking sheet; bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer cakes to a wire rack, and allow to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, whip the cream: In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form; set aside. Split cakes horizontally. Place bottom halves on dessert plates, and top with peaches and vanilla whipped cream. Cover with top halves of shortcakes, and serve.

PEACHES WITH CORNMEAL SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and granulated sugar. Using the large holes on a box grater, grate butter into flour mixture. Using your fingers, incorporate butter into flour mixture, breaking it into even smaller pieces. With a fork, stir in buttermilk until dough just comes together. Lightly flour a rolling pin and work surface and roll out dough to a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle. Cut into 6 squares (or rectangles).
• Place dough squares, 3 inches apart, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush tops with buttermilk and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake until shortcakes are golden and puffed, 17 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
• In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream and confectioners' sugar on high until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Cut shortcakes in half horizontally. Divide peaches among bottom halves, top with whipped cream and blueberries, and sandwich with top halves.