Farm Stand Peach Shortcakes with Fresh Mint
How good does that look! These shortcakes were adapted from an Alton Brown recipe. I’ve also made this with strawberries, which is equally delicious. Fruits will always taste best during the height of the season. I love the intense flavor of macerated berries, so I thought I would give it a try with peaches. I’ve found two methods to macerate fruit. One using either wine or liqueur such as Grand Marnier or a simple combination of sugar, water and a little citrus. With our kids being my blog recipe victims, I used the sugar method for this. It brings out the sweetness in the peaches, combined with the freshness of the mint… it was a perfect summer treat.
INGREDIENTS FOR SHORTCAKES (makes about 10 small shortcakes)
- 2 cups flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp cold butter
- 2 tbsp shortening
- 3/4 cup half & half
- 1 tbsp melted butter (to brush on top)
- Turbinado sugar to sprinkle on top
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter and shortening. Make a well in the center and slowly mix in the half & half. The dough should be a little sticky once combined, similar to a biscuit dough.
Drop by large spoonfuls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush tops with the melted butter and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar (also called Sugar in the Raw). Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE MACERATEDÂ PEACHES WITH MINT (Serves 4)
- 3 large ripe peaches, each sliced into 8 pieces
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- 4 fresh mint leaves, snipped
Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl. Make sure the sugar and water have combined and nicely coated the peaches. Ideally this should sit in the refrigerator covered for a day or at least an hour.
HOW TO PUT IT TOGETHER
Slice a shortcake through the middle and place open on a plate. Put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the bottom half, pour over some of the peaches with their juices. Top with the other shortcake half. Yum!
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