Strawberry-Rhubarb Shortcake

This dessert requires a little work but is so worth it.  It quickly became our dads favorite spring time dessert.  The Southern style biscuit gives this classic dessert a little twist.

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the strawberry-rhubarb mixture:

1 pound ripe strawberries, about 4 cups, cleaned

1 to about 1 and 1/2 pounds of rhubarb (about 7 stalks), leaves removed, stalks chopped into about 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons sugar

For the biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large egg

1/2 vanilla bean**Slice it open and then pull your knife across the opening to remove about 1/2 the seeds. Save the other half for the whipped cream!

1/4 cup heavy cream; plus more for brushing the tops of the biscuits

1/4 cup buttermilk

For the whipped cream

***Chill your mixing bowl, if possible first.

1 and 1/2 cups cold heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 vanilla bean

Directions

For the strawberry-rhubarb mixture: In a large sauté pan over low heat, combine the chopped rhubarb and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.  Stir to coat the rhubarb thoroughly with the sugar, and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb breaks down and becomes sticky and stringy, about 40 minutes to one hour.  Put 1/3 of the strawberries into a medium bowl and mash them until they are crushed. Add the 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar to the bowl.  Slice the rest of the strawberries into your desired thickness and add them to the crushed strawberry mixture. Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.  Once the rhubarb is cooked, add this to the strawberry mixture and set aside.  

For the biscuits: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1/3 cup of the sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the pieces of cold butter, and using a pastry cutter or your fingers, crush the butter into the dough until it is crumbly and resembles coarse sand.  In a separate small bowl, whisk together the egg and the heavy cream.  Add the buttermilk to the mixture and whisk to combine.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the egg mixture into the center.  Mix the dough with a fork until just combined (**it will look shaggy).  On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until softened and cohesive, adding more cream if necessary.  Roll out the dough to a thickness of 3/4-inch, and using a biscuit cutter (I used a 2 and 1/2-inch diameter round cookie cutter), cut out the biscuits and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, re-rolling and cutting the dough as needed. Fine Cooking stresses not to twist the biscuit cutter when making your cuts-simply push down and pull up the cutter vertically. I did this, and it seemed to work like a charm! Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the tops of the biscuits with cream and sprinkle the tops with the remaining granulated sugar.  Bake the biscuits until lightly golden brown, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking process, about 10-15 minutes total.

For the whipped cream: 

In your mixing bowl, combine the cream, sugar, and 1/2 vanilla bean seeds. Mix on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.  Assemble the shortcakes with the biscuits, strawberry-rhubarb mixture, and top with the whipped cream.