Strawberry Shortcakes

Well, at long last,  here is the follow up in which the scones I made last week get incorporated into a tasty dessert.

I know that all of you have had strawberry shortcake a time or two, but this particular recipe I found to be a new version of and old classic.  First is a base of a sweet scone with chunks of almonds baked in.  Then you have the chocolate which really makes the dessert extra special.  The uniqueness to the chocolate ganache can be attributed to orange pekoe tea as well as Grand Marnier.  Also, shortcake is not shortcake without fluffy whipped cream.

Put all that together with some sweet strawberries and you have a pretty awesome combination.  A bite with a burst of strawberry juice and the rich, slightly orangey flavored chocolate enveloped in whipped cream was enough to win me over.

The good thing about this dessert is that you really have more than just one plating if you make all the components.  The scones are great on their own.  Should you not want to make the scones, break out two bowls, one with the whipped cream and one with the ganache and start dipping your strawberries! Also, feel free to put your own spin on this, such as passing on the tea and adding Amaretto and chopped almonds to the ganache. This recipe makes 8-10 shortcakes.

Strawberry Shortcakes
adapted from Dessert Circus at Home

Ingredients
8-10 Almond Breakfast scones (for recipe click here)
2 tbs of Grand Marnier
1 1/3 cups heavy cream (for ganache)
3 tbs orange pekoe tea
11 oz of bittersweet chocolate (chopped fine)
about 3 cups fresh strawberries
2 cups heavy cream (for whipped cream)
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Prepare your scones as directed in the recipe and let cool completely.  Then slice each into 2 layers.  Set aside.

To make the ganache, heat 1 1/3 cups of whipped cream with the tea in a small saucepan.  Stir and let the mixture cook until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Remove from heat. Put the chopped chocolate in a medium size bowl.   Place a sieve over the bowl and pour in the cream/tea mixture.  Let the ingredients set for about 30 seconds and then stir until smooth and the chocolate is well blended with the cream.  You should have a thick, shiny and smooth ganache.  Add the Grand Marnier and mix until incorporated.  Cover with plastic wrap and let cool for at least 4 hours at room temperature.  Once the mixture has reached the consistency of a thick frosting, is is ready to use.

Then hull and halve the strawberries and place in a bowl.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the whipped cream,  mix the 2 cups of heavy cream with the powdered sugar.  Then beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until thick and fluffy.  Take a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch star tip at the end and fill it with the whipped cream.

Place the bottom half of each scone on a plate. Spread ganache over the bottom halves, making a 1/4 inch layer. Then cover the ganache with a layer of strawberry halves. Top the halves with the whipped cream and cover with the top half of the scones.  Pipe a swirl of whipped cream on top and  lightly press 2 strawberry halves in the whipped cream.  Now it is ready to serve!

Tips and notes
1. If you are short on time you can cool the ganache by placing it in the fridge, check it periodically for the right consistency.  Mine took about 45 minutes to set up.
2. I put my chocolate bars in a food processor fitted with a grating blade, this aids in getting the chocolate to melt quickly and smoothly.

                        **LAST YEAR: Blue Cheese Crisps
  
  

Persephone's Winter Cake

There is a myth surrounding how wintertime actually came about.  Apparently Hades, God of the Underworld, stole someone's daughter named Persephone to keep her and make her marry him.  Her mother was Demeter, goddess of the harvest.

Once Demeter heard about her daughters fate, plants stopped growing.  The lack of food did take its toll on several people as well as animals.  Then her husband Zeus advised that as long as Persephone had not eaten any food in the underworld, she could go free.  Based on this, Persephone was released back to her family.

However it did not take long for a servant of Hades to arrive and advise the parents that Persephone did in fact eat.  It was only 7 pomegranate seeds, but it still was food.  The family was devastated, so much so that it was finally ruled that Persephone could stay with her parents 9 months out of the year. The other 3 months she would have to stay in the underworld.  As a result, plants would die during the 3 months, hence the season was to be called winter.  This cake does have some summer flavors, but the name reflects the tie in to the myth.

This particular cake has is a unique flavor combination, pomegranate and white wine. It came out very moist with a subtle tartness from the pomegranate.  The layers are filled with lime curd and the cake is frosted with sweetened whipped cream.  The curd really does give an extra pop of flavor against the subtle flavor of the cake. Also the whipped cream just pulls it all together in one tasty bite.  

Persephone's Winter Cake
by flourtrader

Ingredients/Lime Curd
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tbs lime zest
1/3 cup lime juice
1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter, 1/4- 1/2 inch cubes


Ingredients/Cake
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup & 2 tbs white wine
1/4 cup & 2 tbs  pomegranate juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 egg yolks
red food coloring (optional)
2 tbs freeze dried pomegranate
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs baking powder
2/3 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
8 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar

Ingredients/Whipping Cream
1/2 tsp whipping cream stabilizer (I used Whip it brand)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
8 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla

For the lime curd, beat together eggs, lime juice, lime zest and sugar.  Pour into small saucepan and cook on low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and lightly coats the back of a spoon.  It should reach a temperature of about 160 degrees.  Then add about 3-4 cubes of butter and stir until it melts.  Continue with this process until all butter has been melted and mixed in.  Remove from heat.  Place a sieve over a heat proof bowl and pour the curd into it.  Make sure all curd is pushed through strainer, leaving the zest behind.  Let cool for about 5 minutes, then cover the surface with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

Prepare two 9 inch cake pans by greasing the interior with melted butter.  Then line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper and butter the surface.  Dust bottom and sides with flour.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Sift together 2/3 cup of sugar, flour, baking powder,freeze dried pomegranate and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together yolks, water, oil, vanilla and lemon zest.  Stir in the wine and pomegranate juice.  Add the optional food coloring, being aware that the egg whites will lighten the batter color.  Mix until blended evenly.

Take out a mixer bowl and fill with eggs whites and cream of tartar.  Beat until it turns into soft peaks.  Then add 1/4 cup of sugar and beat for 1 minute and add another 1/4 and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.  Fold the egg white mixture into the pomegranate batter.

Pour the batter into the two cake pans, making sure each is filled evenly.  Put each pan in the oven, one on the top left and one on the bottom left.  Baked until tester comes out clean, which is about 25 minutes.  Remove pans and run a knife around the edges.  Place pans on rack and let cool for 10 minutes.  Then invert and peel off parchment and let cakes cool completely.

Once the cakes are cool, place in fridge for 15 minutes.  Then remove and trim domed tops to make each cake even and flat on top.  Then with cut dome side up, smooth the lime curd on top evenly.  Then top with other cake layer.

To make the whipped cream, place all ingredients in a small bowl and beat until soft peaks form.  Be careful not to over beat, you do not want it stiff, just thick.  Frost the top and sides of cake and pipe a border if desired.  Store in fridge until ready to serve.

Tips and notes:
1. deflating the whites when folding in can make for a dense cake, so take care in this process
2. Straining out the zest in the curd is optional, you can leave it in for extra tartness.
3. The stabilizer does help whipped cream from being runny at room temperature for extended times. If you do not have stabilizer, it is best to use a version with gelatin but it will give it a more spongy texture.
4.  This is another one in which I did not like the taste of the cake the first day but on the second day the flavors had developed into something very tasty.
                   **LAST YEAR: Maple Pumpkin Bars**