Four Berry Shortcakes With Crème Fraîche Sorbet Recipes

SOUR-CREAM SHORTCAKES WITH FRESH BERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet. Set aside.
• To make the shortcakes, in a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using 2 knives or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the sour cream and egg until moistened. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat into a rough circle (the dough will be sticky). Working with about one-sixth of the dough at a time, shape into rough balls and place about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the berries: if using strawberries, slice them. In a bowl, combine the fruit with sugar to taste. Stir, then let stand until ready to use.
• Remove the shortcakes from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet on a rack. In a bowl, whip the cream with the vanilla until it holds soft peaks. To serve, split each pancake in half horizontally with your fingers and place a bottom half on each of 6 individual plates. Top generously with the sugared berries and whipped cream. Replace the top half and serve.

TRIPLE BERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition., Transfer batter to a greased 13x9-in. pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack., For topping, in a large bowl, combine berries; add sugar and toss gently to coat. Serve with cake; top with whipped cream if desired.

MIXED BERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch. Stir in milk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount into egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. transfer to a bowl; press a piece of plastic wrap on top of custard. Refrigerate., In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk until a soft dough forms. Pat gently into a 9-in. square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack., Cut shortcake into 3/4-in. cubes. In parfait glasses, alternate layers of shortcake, custard, sliced strawberries and blueberries. Garnish with halved strawberries and a dollop of whipped topping.

FOUR-BERRY SHORTCAKES WITH CRèME FRAîCHE SORBET

Steps:

• Stir 1 1/2 cups water and sugar in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil syrup until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 2 minutes. Transfer syrup to bowl; chill until cold, at least 1 hour. Whisk crème fraîche, vanilla and lemon juice into syrup. Transfer to ice cream maker. Process according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer sorbet to container. Cover; freeze up to 1 week.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk milk and egg in small bowl to blend. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients, stirring until dough forms. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead gently until dough is smooth, about 5 turns. Pat out dough to 6x4-inch rectangle. Cut into 8 equal pieces; shape each into 2 1/2-inch round about 3/4 inch thick.
• Arrange rounds on prepared sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake shortcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean and bottoms are brown, about 13 minutes. Cool on racks until lukewarm, about 30 minutes. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Wrap in foil and rewarm 10 minutes at 350°F before serving, if desired.)
• Combine all ingredients in large bowl; toss to blend. Transfer 1 cup berry mixture to shallow bowl; mash to coarse puree with back of fork. Return puree to berry mixture. Let stand until juices form, stirring occasionally, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• Cut shortcakes in half horizontally. Place bottom halves, cut side up, in 8 dessert bowls. Top each with scoop of sorbet, berry mixture and shortcake top.
• Crème fraîche is available at some supermarkets. If unavailable, heat 1 cup whipping cream to lukewarm (85°F). Remove from heat and mix in 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Cover and let stand until slightly thickened, 24 to 48 hours, depending on temperature of room. Chill until ready to use.