Did Someebody Say Shortcake?
Paul Cezanne, (1839-1906)
The Bather, 1885
Oil on Canvas, 50 x 38 1/8 “
The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Lillie P. Bliss Collection
French Post- Impressionist
I don’t know why I had the sudden urge to make shortcakes, but for some reason, I became so fixated on the idea, I’ve been cranking out batch after batch of them for the last three days. I wanted to make shortcakes but not with the standard strawberries, so I set out to the store and low and behold, there right before me was a pile of organic cherries. I bought two pounds, a bag of almond meal, a block of cream cheese and headed home to my laboratory.
After four batches, the result is a biscuit that is super moist, with just a hint of almond and a touch of sweetness that finishes with a nice clean zing thanks to the cream cheese and buttermilk. Topped with freshly whipped cream and macerated fresh cherries, this dessert is the perfect summertime reprieve from the ordinary.
Not overtly sweet, this is a subtle dessert that awakens the senses and taste buds in a delightfully surprising manner; most of the sweetness comes from the cherries, not from the shortcake. So pile these babies high and serve them under the stars with the sounds of the cicadas slowing everything down to that familiar summertime purr.
MACERATED CHERRIES AND CREAM
¾ Cup Sorghum Flour
½ Cup Almond Meal
½ Cup Cornstarch
¼ Cup Tapioca Flour
1 ½ Teaspoons Guar Gum
3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
2 ½ Ounces Cream Cheese
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Buttermilk
3 Teaspoons Almond Extract
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 lbs. Organic Cherries, pitted
1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Heavy Cream
2 Teaspoons Sugar
Preheat oven to 425º and line one 9” round cake with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together all of the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter, add the cream cheese and butter to the dry ingredients by cutting them in until the mix looks like a bowl of weak balls of play-dough. Drizzle the milk, almond and vanilla extracts over the dough and incorporate quickly with a wooden spoon, stirring only until the liquid has been absorbed.
Sprinkle your work surface with some additional almond meal. Turn your dough onto your prepared surface and coat with the almond meal to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands. Quickly shape your dough into a circle with a diameter of at least 9” and a thickness of about ½ and inch. Using a 2” round cookie cutter, cut out your shortcakes, arrange them in your prepared pan and bake immediately for 15 minutes. The tops of the shortcakes should be perfectly suntanned, not too dark and not too light.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan.
While your shortcakes are cooling, carefully wash and pit your cherries. Toss in a large mixing bowl with the granulated sugar, cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Whip your heavy cream and when it begins to hold its’ shape, add the 2 teaspoons sugar, mix for a few moments more and when the cream has nice deep creases left by the whisk, it is ready to use.
To construct your shortcakes, take one of your shortcakes, cut it in half, cover the bottom piece with a nice layer of cream and then scoop a heaping, tumbling pile of cherries onto the cream and top it off with the top half of the shortcake. Repeat until all of your guests are served.
Um, you pretty much can’t wait…
Serves 6
George Wesley Bellows, (1882-1925)
Forty-Two Kids, 1907
The Cocoran Gallery of Art,
William A. Clark Fund, 1931
Washington, D.C.
American/New York Urban Life Painter
