Cherry Short Cakes

I know it sounds un-American, but I don't believe I have ever had a short cake before. I have seen plenty of strawberry shortcakes and, being a nanny and all, heard plenty references to that sweetly named children's cartoon character, but never have I actually had one.

To my surprise, a short cake is simply a biscuit with fruit and whipped cream in the middle. Who knew something so simple would be so irresistible? Or that you could make them with something other than strawberries =P.

Cherry Shortcakes.

Adapted from This Blog

Biscuits:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bow. Cut in butter until butter is the size of small peas.

Add buttermilk and vanilla, mixing until just moistened.

Form dough into ball and place n well-floured surface (or floured pastry cloth, which is my personal preference.) Flatten into a disk about 3/4 or 1 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes, combine scraps and repeat to make more biscuits Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden.

Cool on wire rack.

Cherries:

1/3 cup sugar or honey (decide based on how sweet or tart your cherries are and preference)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

scant 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 lb of cherries, pitted and stemmed

Mix sweetener of choice, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a saucepan (do not turn on heat yet). Add cherries and then cook over medium-low heat until mixture bubbles and thickens, about half an hour.

Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice. Set aside to cool.

Assembly:

Either make your own whip cream (whip heavy cream and confectioners sugar to taste until mixture holds soft peaks) or buy some.

Cut biscuits horizontally in half and place bottoms on serving plates. Spoon the cherries over the biscuit bottoms, top with whipped cream, then cover with the biscuit top.

Yum.

Broiled Tomato Sandwiches

Looking for a casual Saturday afternoon lunch? These open-faced sandwiches are bursting with flavor and show off ripe tomatoes perfectly. Make sure you have a napkin nearby, because the juicy tomatoes can get a bit drippy.

My roomie and I made these after going to the Farmers' Market Saturday morning. We wanted a way to use the tomatoes and basil we had just purchased and were happy we did.

Broiled Tomato Sandwiches

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons basil pesto
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
4 slices bread, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to broil.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together the olive oil and vinegar. Marinate the tomatoes in the mixture, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and pesto. Spread mixture on each slice of toasted bread. Place marinated tomatoes on 4 slices and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Place on a baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes, or until cheese turns golden brown. Serve immediately, open faced, 2 slices per person.

Suggestion: Goes excellently with a creamy soup. Great for appetizers when served in bite sized pieces open-faced. The marinade can be easily converted into a nice vinaigrette, instead of having to throw it away or boil it.

For a different taste, marinate the tomatoes in balsamic vinegar only (no oil). Try to use foccacia bread.

Corn, Tomato and Crab Salad

So my oven was taken away from me for the two weeks after memorial day. During that time, I had to rack my brain for no-cook recipes. If I am going to do no-cook recipes and rely primarily on the bold flavors of raw foods, it only makes sense to go with fruits and veggies that just scream "summer is here!" That led me to this tomato and corn and crab salad. It was so hard to find good lump crab in KY that I had to go with imitation, which greatly displeased me, but I am a bit picky when it comes to seafood (I grew up in Florida, after all).

I think that this dish would be awesome with shrimp (no shells, no tails), if you cannot find real lump crabmeat.

Also, I must admit, I was feeling lazy and there is a Red Lobster just up the street from me (literally, it is on the same street as my house). Their cheddar biscuits are 6 for $1.99! I couldn't say no. They go sooo well with this dish. The addition of the biscuits is so worth it, but if you are feeling ambitious, you can always make your own using the food network's almost famous recipe.

Corn, Tomato, and Crab Salad

Adapted from Southern Living

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears)
¼ cup thinly sliced basil leaves
1 chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
½ pound lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed, cooked
4 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, sliced into eights or tenths
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup shredded Parmesan

Combine rind, 3 tablespoons juice, and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Reserve 1 ½ tablespoons juice mixture. Add remaining 2 tablespoons juice, corn, and next 4 ingredients (through crab) to remaining juice mixture; toss gently to coat.

Arrange slices of beefsteak tomatoes and ½ cup cherry tomatoes on each of 4 plates. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon reserved juice mixture over each serving. Top each serving with ¼ of corn and crab mixture. Sprinkle each plate with 2 tablespoons of parmesan.

Suggestion: replace crab with 1lb of chopped shrimp and/or serve with cheddar biscuits