Gingered Blackberry And Plum Shortcakes Food

GINGERED BLACKBERRY AND BLACK PLUM SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Make the biscuits: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Add 1 1/4 cups cream, and mix just until moistened.
• Turn dough onto a floured surface, and pat into a 3/4-inch-thick round. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut 6 rounds (reuse scraps); transfer to a baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining 2 tablespoons cream, and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Make the filling: In a large bowl, combine plums, blackberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt. Squeeze grated ginger over fruit, releasing juice; discard pulp. Toss gently to combine. Let sit at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• Just before serving, in a large bowl, whip cream and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until soft peaks form.
• With a serrated knife, halve biscuits horizontally. Place bottom half of each biscuit, cut side up, on a serving plate; top with fruit, whipped cream, and 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.

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.

GINGERED BLUEBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cook 6 minutes or until berries begin to pop, stirring frequently. Set aside.
• Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour, baking powder, and salt in a food processor; pulse to combine.
• Finely chop the candied ginger - don't rely on the food processor to continue chopping it, as the pulses are too brief. Add the ginger with the butter to processor; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk, and pulse 3 or so times, just until combined. Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. Press mixture into a 7-inch circle; cut into 8 wedges.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place wedges 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
• Combine egg white and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Lightly brush tops of wedges with egg white mixture; sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1 Tablespoon sugar. Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
• Place cream in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
• Split shortcakes in half horizontally; divide the berries evenly, spooning approximately 1/3 cup berry mixture over each bottom half. Top each with about 2 tablespoons whipped cream; cover with shortcake tops.
• TO PREPARE IN ADVANCE: You can make all the components in advance and then assemble just before serving: Prepare the berry mixture and whipped cream earlier in the day, and refrigerate; bring berry mixture to room temperature or warm slightly in a pan before serving. Make the shortcakes early in the day and wrap in plastic wrap until needed later; or, make in advance and freeze them, then defrost at room temperature when ready to serve.

GINGERED BLACKBERRY AND PLUM SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Make biscuits: Preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Add 1 1/4 cups cream, and mix just until moistened.
• Turn out dough onto a floured work surface, and gently pat into a 3/4-inch-thick round. Using a floured 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 6 rounds (pat together scraps and cut out more rounds, if needed); transfer to a baking sheet. Brush tops with 2 tablespoons cream, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Meanwhile, make filling: In a large bowl, combine plums, blackberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and remaining pinch of salt. Place grated ginger in a fine sieve; hold over the bowl and press on ginger with a wooden spoon to release juice (discard solids). Toss gently to combine. Let sit at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• Just before serving, use an electric mixer to whip remaining 1 cup cream and 2 tablespoons sugar until soft peaks form.
• With a serrated knife, halve biscuits horizontally. Place bottom half of each biscuit on a serving plate; layer with fruit and whipped cream, then replace top halves. Serve immediately.