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Dane Tashima
Strawberry shortcake is a classic all-American dessert, but have you tried strawberry-rhubarb shortcake?! Hot pink slivers of tart, roasted rhubarb mixed in with the strawberries make for a balanced and undeniably gorgeous dessert. Make these to finish off a dinner, graduation, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day — anything you’re celebrating during rhubarb season that merits an extra special finale. — Lidey Heuck
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Serves 8
Ingredients
For the biscuits:
- ¾ cup buttermilk, shaken
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 2½ cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 tablespoons (5 ounces) cold unsalted butter, diced
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for the egg wash
For the fruit:
- 1 pound rhubarb stalks, trimmed
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (1 orange)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, as needed
- 1 pound strawberries, hulled and cut into slices ¼-inch thick
- Lightly sweetened whipped cream for serving (recipe follows)
For the whipped cream:
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
Directions
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream and sugar on medium speed until the cream begins to thicken. Increase the speed to high and beat just until soft peaks form. Do not overbeat.
Make the biscuits: In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and almond extract, if using. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and whisk until well combined. Add the butter and, working quickly, work the butter into the flour using your hands or a pastry cutter, until it forms crumbles about the size of large peas. Switch to a fork and, stirring constantly, add the buttermilk mixture in a slow, steady steam. Mix just until a wet, sticky dough forms.
Dump the dough out onto a floured surface. Coat your hands in flour and, working quickly, pat the dough into a rectangle 3/4-inch thick. Cut the dough into 4 pieces that are roughly equal in size, then stack them on top of each other and pat the dough back into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle, about 8 by 9 inches, tossing a bit more flour underneath if the dough is beginning to stick. Using a floured 2½-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 8 biscuits and place them on a lightly floured plate. If needed, gently reform any dough scraps into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle and cut out the remaining biscuits. Chill for at least 30 minutes before baking, or for up to 6 hours, covered in plastic wrap.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the biscuits, evenly spaced, on the pan. Brush with the egg wash, sprinkle lightly with sugar, and bake until just beginning to brown on top, about 18 minutes. Set the biscuits aside to cool completely and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Make the filling: Cut any rhubarb stalks wider than 1 inch in half lengthwise and slice all the rhubarb crosswise on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. Place in a baking dish just large enough to fit all the rhubarb in one layer. Add the orange juice and 2 tablespoons of sugar and toss. If your rhubarb is pale pink or green in some places, add an additional tablespoon of sugar.
Bake until the rhubarb is fork tender but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes, then add the strawberries to the baking dish, toss, and set aside until completely cool.
To serve, break or slice the biscuits in half and place on dessert plates. Spoon a generous heap of fruit over the bottom half of the biscuit, along with some of the juices. Top with a large dollop of whipped cream and serve immediately.
Excerpted from Cooking in Real Life: Delicious & Doable Recipes for Every Day. Copyright @ 2024 by Lidey Heuck. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.
Cook With Lidey
Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster
Two more recipes from Cooking in Real Life for AARP members to try:
Baked Crab Dip With Sweet Corn & Old Bay
Creamy baked dips are always a hit, and with fresh crab and corn kernels off the cob, this one feels especially luxurious.
Piled on top of grilled skirt steak, this salsa turns this everyday cut of meat into a total showstopper.
Read about Lidey Heuck’s cookbook, Cooking in Real Life.
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