Old Fashioned Yet Delicious Spring Time Desserts

Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake with Ice Cream

Shortcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a little extra
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons milk

Sift dry ingredients in a bowl and then add the butter, a few chunks at a time, and work it with your hands into the flour, until completely combined and looks like small beads. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour in 1/2 cup buttermilk and milk. Use a dough scraper to incorporate the milk and flour, pulling the flour from the edges to the center. The finished dough should feel damp, not wet, and be a “shaggy mess” and not a solid mass.

Let dough rest on parchment paper for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place dough on lightly floured working surface and roll out to 1/2″ thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter, then place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden, then transfer to rack to cool.

For Strawberries:
1 pint berries, sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, and let the berries macerate in the sugar, up to 4 hours. Store in fridge until ready to serve.

For assembly:
Cut short cakes in half, and place bottom half on the plate. Top with a spoonful of the strawberries, and drizzle a bit of the juice on as well. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a little shot of whip cream, then rest the top of the biscuit against the side of the stack.  Serves 8

Blueberry Crumble
1 cup pecan or walnut pieces, chopped
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 dark brown sugar
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 pints blueberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the nuts, 1 cup flour, oats, brown sugar and butter in a food processor and pulse till clumpy. Put the berries in a square baking sheet and drizzle with lemon juice and then sprinkle with sugar and flour. Top with the nut and oat mixture, then bake for 45 minutes, until bubbly. Let cool to room temperature, then serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.