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Rhubarb Strawberry Shortcake with Rosemary and Chantilly Cream

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Posted by The Test Kitchen on Mar 18, 2010 in Breads, Desserts, Featured, Fruit, Quick breads, Shortcakes, Strawberries | 0 comments

Spring finally arrives this weekend, and as a reward for enduring one of the coldest winters on record, we treated ourselves to the season’s first harvest of rhubarb.

Although typically paired with fruit, rhubarb is a stalky vegetable, similar in appearance and texture to celery, but bearing no resemblance in taste. It is extremely sour, both raw and cooked, and is often heavily sugared to overcompensate for it’s pucker-power.

You’ll find stalks of varying sizes, with ruby red, pink and grassy green streaks, in stores and farmer’s markets from late March through June. If the stalks have leaves, or if growing your own, leaves should be trimmed and discarded before cooking, as they contain a high oxalic acid content and are potentially toxic to people and pets.

If you give rhubarb’s tart bite a fighting chance by holding back on sweeteners just a bit, it’s distinctive flavor will add balance and complexity to any recipe. And it won’t bite back, promise.

Rhubarb Strawberry Shortcakes with Rosemary and Chantilly Cream

Yields: 6 shortcakes

Method: biscuit method
Allergy Info: contains wheat, gluten, dairy
Fancy Equipment: parchment paper

Ingredients for the Shortcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, diced
2 eggs
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 egg beaten plus 1 tablespoons milk, for egg wash
6 small top sprigs of rosemary

Ingredients for the Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote:
3 cups rhubarb, leaves removed, washed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
1/4 cup orange juice
Pinch of salt
1 pint strawberries, washed and quartered

Ingredients for the Chantilly Cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make the Biscuits:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a course meal with pea-sized pieces of fat. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, rosemary and heavy cream. Add to the flour and mix until just blended. The dough should be sticky, but not wet.

Place the dough out onto a well-floured surface and form the dough into a rough circle, one inch high. Cut 6 biscuits with a fluted or straight cookie or biscuit cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Brush the top of each biscuit with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the outside is slightly golden around the edges. Do not open the oven door during the first 15 minutes, to allow the biscuits to rise properly. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Make the Compote:
Add the rhubarb, sugar, orange juice and pinch of salt to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes and add half of the strawberries. Simmer for another 15 minutes, or until the rhubarb is just tender but still toothy. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add the rest of the strawberries to the cooled mixture and stir to incorporate.

Make the Chantilly Cream:
Beat the cold cream with a wire whisk or hand mixer until soft peaks begin to form. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until stiff peaks just barely begin to form.

Assemble the shortcakes:
Split shortcake in the middle, like a hamburger bun. Place the bottom of the biscuit into a shallow bowl and spoon some of the compote over the biscuit. Add a generous spoonful of Chantilly cream. Place the top part of the biscuit on the cream and top with a small amount of compote and another dollop of cream. Place a small sprig of rosemary on the cream. Repeat for each shortcake.

Chef’s Notes:
Combine the dough scraps to create additional biscuits if desired. The second batch of biscuits will be slightly tougher and will not rise as high as the first, but will have the same flavor.

Biscuits can be split into three layers if sliced carefully. This will allow you to stack more ingredients for a more dramatic presentation.

Thyme or lavender in place of the rosemary also work well in this recipe. Lemon zest can also be added.

Neat things you should know:

Chantilly cream is credited to François Vatel, maître d’hôtel at the Château de Chantilly in the 17th century. Vatel had the honor of cooking for King Louis XIV, but took his own life rather than risk the shame and embarrassment he would face after being told he would not have enough fish delivered for the King’s dinner, which turned out to be a “grave” misunderstanding. The full fish delivery arrived later that morning.
The first mention of shortcakes in Europe has been traced to the late 1500′s.
The first strawberry shortcake recipe has been traced to around 1850.
Rhubarb was first used for medicinal purposes, with records as far back as 2700 BC, and did not appear in the U.S. for culinary uses until the 1800′s.
Rhubarb leaves can be used to create organic insecticides for any of the leaf eating insects such as cabbage caterpillars, aphids, peach and cherry slugs.