Excerpted from our Making Dough cookbook by Russell van Kraayenburg.
YIELD: 6 shortcakes | PREP TIME: 1 hour | BAKE TIME: 12 minutes
Ingredients
1 pound prepared Biscuit Dough
1 cup heavy cream
5 sprigs fresh mint
4 ounces granulated sugar, divided
12 ounces blackberries, pureed, plus 12 ounces whole berries
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
½ teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut biscuits and bake according to the instructions on page 28, about 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Set aside.
2. Heat heavy cream and mint sprigs in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, until cream reaches the scalding point (180°F on a clipped-on thermometer); it will begin to steam and appear slightly frothy. Transfer to the refrigerator and let steep for 1 hour, until cold.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the blackberry sauce: bring pureed blackberries, half of the sugar, chopped mint, lemon juice, and vanilla to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat slightly to maintain boil and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, until thickened. Strain liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; discard any blackberry seeds. Set aside to cool.
4. Strain steeped cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl; discard mint leaves. Whip cream with an electric mixer on high speed while slowly adding the remaining sugar, until stiff peaks form. Note: This will take longer than normal whipped cream, up to 10 minutes, because of the oils from the mint leaves. Set aside in the refrigerator.
5. Assemble the shortcakes: Cut biscuits in half to create two rounds. Cover each bottom half with blackberries and blackberry sauce. Top with the top halves. Spoon whipped cream on top and drizzle with a little more blackberry sauce before serving.
