Peach Shortcake
serves 6
A cloak of whipped cream, flavored gently with vanilla extract and lightly sweetened, is a fine foil to the inviting combination of juicy fruit and crusty biscuit.
Read more about this recipe at the Washington Post.
Biscuits:
2 1/8 cups unsifted flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup superfine sugar*
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup cold heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
4 teaspoons sparkling or sanding sugar (may substitute granulated sugar)
Peaches:
5 peaches, peeled, halved, pitted and thickly sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons superfine sugar (or more to taste)
Cream:
1 cup cold heavy cream
5 teaspoons superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
prep: 30 minutes
total: 2 hours 30 minutes
large bowl
pastry blender or two round bladed knives
small bowl
heavy cookie sheet or rimmed baking sheet
wide, metal spatula
medium nonreactive bowl
mixing bowl
hand-held mixer
serrated knife
1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and superfine sugar and mix well.
2. Scatter the cubes of butter over the top and, using a pastry blender or two round-bladed knives, cut the fat into the flour until reduced to smaller, irregular pearl-size bits.
3. With your fingertips, lightly crumble the fat into the flour further for 45 seconds (or reduce further into smaller flakes of varying sizes). Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, mix the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Add the eggs and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add the egg and cream mixture to the butter and flour mixture and stir to form a dough.
5. Give the dough 6 light kneading turns in the bowl. Form and pat the dough into a 5- to 6-inch round on a sheet of waxed paper (or food-safe cooking parchment paper), wrap to enclose, and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
6. Preheat the oven to 400F. Have ready a heavy cookie sheet or a rimmed baking sheet.
7. Cut the disk of dough into 6 wedges. Sprinkle the tops with the sparkling or sanding sugar. Arrange the biscuits 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 17 to 18 minutes, or until golden and baked through. With a wide metal spatula, transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool.
8. Meanwhile, in a medium nonreactive bowl, add the peaches, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons superfine sugar and toss to coat. Set aside for 20 minutes or up to 30 minutes for the peaches to be sweetened and juices to well up.
9. Chill the mixing bowl and beaters. With a hand-held mixer, whip the cream until it just begins to swell. Sprinkle over the superfine sugar and the vanilla extract and continue to whip until moderately firm peaks form, about 1 minute. Refrigerate the whipped cream while you are assembling the shortcakes (or up to 30 minutes before serving).
10. With a serrated knife, split the warm biscuits in half horizontally and set the bottom half of each on a dessert plate. Spoon over the sweetened peaches, along with the accumulating juices, then cover each with a biscuit top. Place a dollop of whipped cream over each shortcake or off to the side. Serve immediately.
