Lemon Shortcakes With Basil Berries Food

LEMON SHORTCAKES WITH BASIL BERRIES

Steps:

• Shortcakes: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place flour, granulated sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until coarse crumbs form, with a few pea-size pieces remaining. Transfer to a bowl; refrigerate 10 minutes.
• Stir in cream until clumps form; knead a few times until a dough forms. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a log about 12 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Slice into eight 1 1/2-inch-thick rounds; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake, rotating pan once halfway through, until light golden brown and cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheet 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
• Serving: While shortcakes are cooling, toss berries with granulated sugar, lemon juice, and basil; let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk cream with confectioners' sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Serve shortcakes with berries and whipped cream, garnished with tiny basil leaves.

LEMON SHORTCAKES WITH GINGERED BLUEBERRIES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, the lemon zest, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and use your fingers to quickly flatten each piece of butter into the flour mixture. The butter should be pliant but not melty. If it starts to get too soft, refrigerate the mixture for a few minutes before moving on.
• In another large bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup/120 milliliters heavy cream with the lemon juice and egg until combined. Add the cream mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a fork until the dough is evenly moistened.
• Tip the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Work it a few times, just to get the mixture to come together, but don't overwork it. Pat the dough into a 5-inch square. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into two rectangles, then cut each rectangle crosswise into 3 pieces. Separate them on the parchment paper, slide the parchment paper onto a baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.
• Just before baking, brush the top of each shortcake with cream and sprinkle liberally with granulated sugar. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one shortcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, smash 1/4 cup/35 grams of the blueberries. Add the remaining whole blueberries and crystallized ginger and toss to combine. Whip the cream to medium-stiff peaks with the confectioners' sugar, if using.
• To serve, split the shortcakes in half and top the bottom half with whipped cream and berries. Replace the top.

STRAWBERRY-BASIL-LEMON SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. In large bowl, beat butter, lemon peel and lemon juice with electric mixer on low speed until blended. With spoon, stir in Bisquick mix and 2/3 cup milk until dough forms a ball.
• Roll or pat dough into about 3/4-inch-thick rectangle. Cut into 6 squares. Place squares on cookie sheet. Brush tops with additional milk; sprinkle with sugar crystals.
• Bake 20 minutes or until tops are lightly browned.
• Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and basil together. Gently stir in strawberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Split shortcakes; place on individual dessert plates. Top bottom halves with whipped cream. Spoon strawberries over cream. Cover each with top half of shortcake.

LEMON-BERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9-in. round baking pan., In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk egg, buttermilk, melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients; stir just until moistened. Fold in 1 cup strawberries. Transfer to prepared pan., Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely., For topping, toss berries with lemon juice and sugar. To serve, spread whipped topping over cake. Top with berries.

STRAWBERRY LEMON SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. In a small bowl, mix softened butter and lemon zest until blended. In another bowl, toss strawberries with sugar; let stand while preparing shortcakes., In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt; cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, whisk milk and egg yolk until blended; add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork just until moistened. , Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead gently 4-5 times. Divide dough into 4 portions; pat each into a 3/4-in.-thick circle. Place 2 in. apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack. , Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar; beat until soft peaks form., To serve, split shortcakes in half. Top bottoms with whipped cream and strawberries. Spread tops with lemon-butter mixture; place over strawberries.

STRAWBERRY AND BASIL-CORNMEAL SHORTCAKES WITH VANILLA WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Make the Strawberry Filling:
• Place about one-third of the strawberries in a medium nonreactive (glass or ceramic) bowl and crush them with a fork or potato masher. Add the remaining strawberries to the bowl and tear them up with your fingers into bite-size pieces, making sure any juice falls into the bowl. Sprinkle the sugar, basil, and vinegar over the strawberries and toss to coat. Let sit for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours before using.
• Make the Whipped Cream:
• Split the vanilla bean lengthwise, if using, and scrape the seeds into the heavy cream in the measuring cup. (Or add the vanilla extract.) Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the empty vanilla bean, cover with plastic wrap, and let steep in the refrigerator while you make the shortcakes.
• Make the Basil-Cornmeal Shortcakes:
• Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Combine the flour, cornmeal, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and basil in a large bowl. Cut the butter into ½-inch chunks, sprinkle over the flour, and toss to coat. Using your fingers, flatten the cubes of butter and then rub and squeeze the butter and flour together until the butter is broken into small pieces, about the size of peas.
• Set aside the egg white in a small bowl. Combine the egg yolk and the yogurt in a small bowl and beat together until the yolk is incorporated into the yogurt. Scrape the yogurt into the dry ingredients and toss first with a fork, then your hands, until a dough forms. It might seem dry at first, but keep tossing together and a dough will form. Divide the dough into 4 balls and place on the lined baking sheet, pressing down slightly to form disks. Add the water to the egg white and beat until frothy. Brush the top of each shortcake with a light coating of the egg white wash and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 14 to 18 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then carefully move to a wire rack.
• While the shortcakes are cooling, finish the whipped cream. Remove the vanilla pod from the cream and transfer the cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until soft peaks form.
• Assemble the Shortcakes:
• Use a serrated knife to split the shortcakes in half. Spoon the whipped cream onto the bottom of each shortcake, add some strawberries, sprinkle with a little basil, add another dollop of whipped cream, and replace the top of each shortcake. Serve immediately.
• Tearing Strawberries:
• It sounds odd, but tearing the strawberries by hand in this recipe actually serves a purpose. If you slice the strawberries, the fruit tends to slip and slide off the whipped cream. However, if you tear the fruit with your fingers, the jagged edges of the fruit have nooks and crannies that help capture the whipped cream. It also helps bruise the fruit so that a little more juice is released for the shortcake. So get your hands dirty and start tearing away!
• VARIATION: Blueberry and Coriander Shortcakes With Lemon-Scented Whipped Cream
• Make the blueberry filling by combining 4 cups (680 g) fresh blueberries (don't use frozen), 1⁄2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar, the zest of 1 lemon, and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the juices start to boil and a few of the berries start to pop, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature or refrigerate overnight.
• For the shortcakes, first toast 4 teaspoons coriander seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Remove and let cool, then crush with a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. Increase the all-purpose flour to 1 1⁄2 cups (210 g) and omit the cornmeal, and substitute 2 teaspoons of the crushed toasted coriander for the basil. Sprinkle 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed coriander over each shortcake with the sugar before baking. Make the whipped cream as directed, then fold in 1 tablespoon lemon zest or 2 teaspoons lemon extract. Sprinkle the remaining coriander over the blueberries when assembling in place of the basil.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE WITH BASIL

Steps:

• Bring 1 1/2 cups cream to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bruise large basil leaves by hitting repeatedly with the dull side of a knife, and stir into cream. Remove from heat, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let steep for 25 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing solids to extract liquid. Refrigerate until very cold, at least 5 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together flour, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, the baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers. (The largest pieces should be the size of small peas.)
• Whisk together 3/4 cup heavy cream, the eggs, and vanilla. Stir into flour using a fork until ingredients are moistened but not fully incorporated. (Do not overmix.)
• Turn dough out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and pat into a 9 1/2-inch circle. Brush dough with remaining 2 tablespoons heavy cream, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.
• Bake until light golden brown and just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely, about 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, macerate strawberries with remaining 1/4 cup sugar, plus more if needed, depending on sweetness, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour.
• Toss berries with small basil leaves. Whisk basil cream with confectioners' sugar in the chilled bowl of a mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Mound basil cream on shortcake. Spoon berries with juice over top.