I think I've mentioned a couple times about my love of keeping it simple! For me, simple means successful.
After we completely annihilated the peaches we got last Friday in our CSA I decided to go pick up a few more at the farm stand today. I was planning to dice them up and "whip" up some whipped cream.
Then, I was trying to think up something I could crumble on top or a wafer or cracker that would be a good compliment to the peaches and cream. For a brief moment I completely lost my mind and considered going and purchasing a pack of shortbread or the like...ACKKKK...see, it's still a learning curve. Sometimes my brain reverts to its old habits :(
Thankfully I came to my senses. I just needed to make a short cake type biscuit.
A couple of weeks ago the family got together for dinner. The kiddies had been to the big farmers market in the big city that day and brought back the most enticing array of mixed local berries. It was all kind of impromptu and my daughter suggested I bring some cream for whipping. She also asked if I'd stop by Whole Foods and pick up their version of short cake biscuits. She had tried them before with berries and thought they were pretty decent. Meh...they were average...;) The berries and whipped cream were delish, though!
So, I went in search of a sweet biscuit type recipe. I ended up making up my own because there was something I didn't like in almost every recipe I read. I don't have buttermilk on hand. I don't have sour cream in the fridge. I like to use eggs in stuff I bake. (hmmm...image that!) I want to use what I have on hand. And so...
This is what I came up with. Super easy, super fast. No, I'm serious...it took no time at all!
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of cold butter
1 egg well beaten
1 cup milk
I whisked together all the dry ingredients. Then I did the coolest thing. I got out my cheese grater and got my butter out of the fridge. Instead of cutting up the cold butter and using a hand held pastry blender, I used the grater! I did it right over the bowl of dry ingredients and then gently blended it through the bowl with my fingers. I added the beaten egg and milk and stirred just until incorporated. Don't over mix.
Then I dropped it by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. You do have parchment paper, right? Parchment paper is life changing. Do you also have a Silpat? I hope so. If you don't, it's not too late. You really need to have a Silpat and parchment paper in you kitchen! Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown.
I have to say I was very pleased with the end product here. They are light and fluffy. They are barely sweet and not bitter. Sometimes I find biscuits a tad on the bitter side. <ahem>( the ones from Whole Foods)...(for the record I usually like their in house baked goods!) The other thing I really liked?! They sliced very easily and didn't get all crumbly.
While they were baking I did dice up the juicy, incredibly ripe sweet peaches. I drizzled a bit of local honey, gently stirred and put them in the fridge.
After dinner (which by the way was really great, too) we went for a nice long (hot) walk. As soon as we got home, Hubs started bugging me about dessert. Okay, I couldn't wait either!...I put my aluminum mixing bowl and beater in the freezer to get nice and cold. I sliced 3 biscuits in half. Yes, I totally indulged and had 3 layers of biscuit. I got the very cold utensils out of the freezer, added 1 cup of whipping cream, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a tablespoon of simple syrup. (You can make simple syrup...it's simple!)
After it was all nice and fluffy I layered the biscuits, cream and peaches.
BOOM! Seriously people...this outrageous dessert took maybe 30 minutes total and that included the baking time! In case you are wondering...it was as good as it looks!
TIP: It's okay to have some whipping cream in your fridge. Just USE it. Not only can you make the fabulous whipped cream, but whipped cream and milk and sugar is all it takes to make ice cream. With all the delectable berries and fruit around, you really need it!
No comments:
Post a Comment