BUTTERMILK SHORTCAKES WITH RHUBARB AND BERRIES

Buttermilk Shortcakes with Rhubarb and Berries image

A simple buttermilk biscuit serves as the basis for fruit shortcake. As with many easy recipes, your success rate at making biscuits will most likely grow exponentially with each attempt. There's nothing tricky about it; just be sure to work quickly and not to overwork the dough at all, which will cause the biscuits to become heavy and flat. In this recipe, a traditional strawberry shortcake is enhanced by a rhubarb compote to serve along with the macerated berries. You can use one fruit and not the other (by doubling the amount of either topping). Or substitute an equal amount of another fruit for the rhubarb, or macerate any other type of berry. An apricot compote would be lovely with macerated blackberries, for example, or nectarines with raspberries. The whipped cream, however, is not optional; it's a fundamental part of the appeal of fruit shortcake. The biscuits, meanwhile, can be served on their own for breakfast, topped with a pat of butter and your favorite jam. (If you are planning to serve them with savory dishes like eggs and bacon, however, omit the sugar and vanilla bean.)

Yield makes 10

Number Of Ingredients 28

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Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for biscuit cutter
1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (see page 469)
1 1/2 cups cold buttermilk
2 tablespoons heavy cream, for brushing
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling (or use granulated sugar)
Whipped Cream (page 436)
Rhubarb Compote (page 436)
Macerated Strawberries (page 437)
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
(makes about 2 cups)
2 1/4 pounds rhubarb, ends trimmed and leaves discarded
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup water
3 strips (each 2 1/2 by 1/2 inch) orange zest
3 strips (each 2 1/2 by 1/2 inch) lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled (large berries halved or quartered lengthwise)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
(makes about 2 1/2 cups)

Steps:

Prepare baking sheet Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Cut butter into dry ingredients Whisk together flours, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour until the largest pieces are the size of small peas.
Mix dough Rub the vanilla seeds into the buttermilk with your fingers (this is the best way to disperse the seeds, but alternatively, you can scrape the bean against the side of the measuring cup with a rubber spatula). Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture, stirring with a fork until most of the ingredients have come together into a moist dough (it's okay if some flour is left on bottom of bowl).
Form biscuits Turn out dough onto a clean work surface and gather any loose bits together. Press lightly to fully incorporate all the ingredients while patting into a rough rectangle, being careful not to overwork the dough. Fold dough into thirds: Starting with a short end, carefully fold over, then fold the other end over the first.. (The folding adds an extra layering of flakiness to the finished biscuits.) Pat out dough until 1 1/4 inches thick. Using a floured biscuit cutter, cut dough into 2 1/2-inch rounds.
Bake Preheat oven to 400°F. Place rounds on prepared cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Gather together scraps; pat out again, and cut once. Chill 20 minutes. Brush tops with the cream and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake 10 minutes, and rotate sheet. Reduce heat to 375°F, and continue to bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 12 minutes more. Transfer biscuits to a wire rack to cool.
Serve Split biscuits, and layer with whipped cream and rhubarb compote. Serve berries on the side. Or, set out a platter of biscuits and bowls of each topping and let guests build their own shortcakes. Biscuits are best eaten the day they are made.
IN A DEEP MIXING BOWL set in a large ice-water bath, whisk cream by hand until soft peaks form. Sprinkle with the sugar, add vanilla, and whisk until soft peaks return. Do not overbeat.
Prepare rhubarb Wash rhubarb well and dry thoroughly with paper towels (wipe each stalk to remove any grit). Cut crosswise on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces (you should have about 5 cups).
Make poaching syrup Bring sugar, water, zests, and salt to a boil in a large straight-sided skillet, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add rhubarb, and stir to coat in sugar syrup. (There won't be enough syrup to cover, but the compote will become more liquidy once the fruit starts to release its juices.) Cover and cook over medium-low heat until rhubarb is just tender, about 5 minutes. (Do not overcook; you want most of the rhubarb pieces to hold their shape.)
Cool Remove from heat and let cool completely, about 1 hour, before using. Compote can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 week.
IN A BOWL, toss berries with sugar and lemon juice to combine. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes to draw out some of the juices before serving.