1 hour
Yield: 12; 2-inch biscuits
hardThis recipe was created by chef and culinary educator Emily Ellyn. She is best known as the Retro Rad Chef from Food Network. She encourages everyone to dig through their mother’s recipe box, dust off their pressure cookers, and take the old and make it new. Emily takes the retro, remixes it, and makes it RAD! You’ve seen her with her trademark cat-eyed glasses on “Food Network Star,” “Cupcake Wars,” and most recently as the winner of “Cutthroat Kitchen.” Now Emily is here making special recipes for the Epicurean Hotel’s Culinary kitchen classes with Wish Farms berries!
Ingredients
Biscuits- 1 pound all-purpose flour (plus some for rolling out dough)
- 1 ounce baking powder
- ¼ ounce table salt
- 1 1/3 ounce sugar (plus some for topping biscuits)
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ pound cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
- 1 lemon zest
- 3 drops of lemon essential oil (optional)
- 6 2/3 ounce buttermilk (plus some for brushing tops), cold
- 4 ounce milk, cold
- 2 pints blueberries, picked over, rinsed
- 1 cup sugar; more to taste
- 2 lemons, juice and zest
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 10 ounces heavy cream, chilled
- 2 ounces sugar
- 1 ounce vanilla extract
Directions
Biscuits- Set a rack in the center of the oven; heat to 425°F.
- In a large bowl, sift all dry ingredients into and then whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and spices together.
- With a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. There may be some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
- Gently stir in the lemon zest, lemon essential oil, and then add buttermilk and milk until the dough just holds together with no large, dry lumps. The dough will appear to be a shaggy mess.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface into 1/2-inch thick rectangle and fold into thirds. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll dough out to 1/2 –inch thick rectangle again. Repeat this process 4 times. Then cut 2-inch biscuits with a biscuit cutter.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or lightly grease baking sheet with shortening or cooking spray. Place biscuits on baking sheet leaving at least 1-inch between biscuits.
- Brush the tops with buttermilk; sprinkle with sugar. Bake until the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Let rest for 1 minute and then transfer to a wire rack. While still slightly warm, slice them open with a serrated knife.
- Set aside ½ the berries. In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and spices.
- Cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring frequently until very soft and juicy, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat.
- Taste and add lemon juice and more sugar, if necessary. If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, reheat the blueberry sauce until very warm and stir in the reserved blueberries.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla. Whip until medium peaks form.
- Put the bottom half of each biscuit on a plate. Spoon on about ¼ cup of the blueberry mixture and a few dollops of cream. Cover with the biscuit top. Spoon on more blueberries and top with another dollop of whipped cream. To elevate your garnish…adorn shortcakes with lemon zest, toasted sliced almonds, a drizzle of honey, and a sprig of mint!
- Serve and ENJOY! Pass remaining blueberry mixture around the table.
