Our house is finally illness free - hallelujah! Man, cold and flu season has beaten us down this year despite all our flu shots and gummy multi-vitamins. I keep telling our friends that maybe if we ate a vegetable every once in a blue moon we may fare a little better, but it's easier to just blame the toddler for bringing home a slew of daycare germs on a daily basis. This project should definitely beat that right out of us considering fried stuffed squash blossoms and brussel sprouts will be on the menu eventually...I can feel my husband's stomach cringing.
However, that week is not this week and I am happy to report that Jackson was actually spot on when he suggested Sookie make blueberry shortcake for the Doublemint Twin wedding. My question is, how is this not a thing???
This recipe is FIRE y'all. It is simple, easy, relatively quick and delicious. Making the blueberry filling is easy enough - soaking fruit in sugar - where can you go wrong? As for the sponge, I tried to imagine how Sookie might serve shortcake to 200 people, but the visual at the end of the episode when Lorelai brings the leftovers to Friday night dinner in a large cake box threw me off. Did Sookie make a giant sheet pan of shortcake? I mean, Emily does ask why it was already cut...
My mind was also blown from researching traditional shortcake over the comparative garbage angel food cake version I've only ever known. From what I found, traditional shortcake uses a scone dough base, which you could probably fashion into some short of sheet for one giant cake, but all I could picture was a big crumbly mess if I attempted to separate a whole pan into two layers. With that said, individual scones are the way to go!
I know I kind of humble bragged in my previous post about how I know just enough to possibly make everything Sookie did during the show, but honestly, most of the time I consider myself somewhat of a savant in the kitchen. I'll try a recipe for the first time and totally knock it out of the park (sorry, humble brag again) but if I try to do it again - fail. Major fail. And it has happened before with scones (God bless my dear friends who ate soggy scones at 6 am I had "bribed" them with so someone would watch the royal wedding with me) so as you can imagine I was a little bit nervous to possibly spend my Saturday making a million different scone recipes. I did not have the slightest confidence that I could create my own recipe, so after much comparing and contrasting the top shortcake recipes on Google, I decided to use the Joy of Baking's recipe. AND. IT. IS. PERFECT. I pulled those babies out of the oven feeling like the freaking Queen of England. This recipe has officially alleviated my beginner's luck PTSD; It's 15 minutes start to finish prep time and bakes for another 15. I can not recommend it enough! Use the link below to find the original recipe and watch the included instructional video and you can't go wrong.
Final Review
If it isn't obvious enough, the final combination of the macerated blueberries, crisp scone and slightly sweetened whipped cream is UH.MAZE.ING. We ate these for breakfast and I had no regrets. The only caveat I have about it, and it's not mine as much as my husband's (who ate TWO shortcakes mind you), who casually mentioned in the car later that afternoon that he liked the blueberry shortcake, but kind of wished that it had strawberries instead. UM, WHAT?! He might as well had just ripped my heart out right then and there. I responded by explaining the WHOLE POINT of Sookie making the blueberry shortcake despite finding the fresh strawberries on the street corner she could have used (BTW - was that not Doose's? And how is there more than one produce supplier in SH?) was that she was truly the "Maestro" trailblazer who could sell it. According to my husband, this recipe isn't quite up to that standard, but he still very much enjoyed it. I'm also not someone who could be compared to as "being second to Alan Ducass," so there's that. To each his own.
Rating: MAKE IT NOW.
Trust me. It's worth it.
Blueberry Shortcake
Blueberry Filling
3 c fresh blueberries
¼ c granulated sugar
Squirt of lemon juice
Shortcake Scones from The Joy of Baking
2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 c cold unsalted butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 c cream
Whipped Cream
1 c heavy cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
Splash of vanilla extract
Directions:
Hull berries and separate ½ cup and crush with a fork. Return crushed berries with the whole and coat in sugar. Let the berries macerate for about 30 minutes to an hour at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 375°. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or using your fingertips. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, cream and vanilla extract. Create a well in the dry ingredients and add cream to the flour mixture, mixing just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough. Knead the dough a few times and roll out to and even circle. Use a circular cookie cutter to cut scones from dough. Place on a baking sheet with silicone mat and parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
Whip heavy cream in an electric mixer on high with powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Layer scone with blueberry filling and whipped cream. Enjoy!
Read the original scone recipe here: https://www.joyofbaking.com/StrawberryShortcake.html#ixzz5fLwNjEpz