The days are still long. The sun is still bright. Yet Rosh Hashanah is rapidly approaching. Menu confusion, anyone? How do the traditional carrots, beets and red wine gravies fit into what is essentially a summer meal?
Solution: Embrace the earliness and utilize summer produce for your Rosh Hashanah menu. That’s the recommendation of Chef Mary Fabrikant, and after sampling her peach shortcake we wholeheartedly agree! Her summer-inspired recipes are featured in this week’s IJN Rosh Hashanah Foods, and we decided to test two of them out. We know that dessert should come after the healthy stuff, but we couldn’t resist. So first up is a Palisades Peach Shortcake. Note: the recipe can also be prepared using dairy ingredients: butter for margarine, half-and-half for Mocha Mix, and whipping cream for Rich Whip.
Check back next week for the Tomato-Corn Sauté, a perfect summer companion dish. The complete IJN Rosh Hashanah Foods section is available in print (contact Carol Coen at [email protected]).
Palisades Peach Shortcake with Gingered Whipped Topping
Ingredients
Biscuits:
- 2 C all-purpose flour
- 1 TB baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 3 TB sugar
- 1 stick margarine, well-chilled & cut into small chunks
- ⅔ C + 2 TB Mocha Mix
Filling:
- 6 C peeled sliced ripe Palisades Peaches
- ⅓ C sugar
- 2 C Rich Whip
- 1 ” knob of ginger root, frozen & peeled (optional)
Instructions
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Place peeled, sliced peaches in a bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar; cover and let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.
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Grate the frozen knob of ginger into the Rich Whip and let it infuse.
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Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Set rack at center level.
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Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and pulse to mix either using a food processor or pastry cutter. Add margarine and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, but with a few pea-size chunks left in the mixture. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and make a well in the center. With a fork stir in 2/3 C of Mocha Mix, just until dough is moist. Be very careful not to overwork. The dough doesn’t have to hold together well at this point. Let the dough stand for a minute. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 2 or 3 times, until it holds together and is less sticky.
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Gently pat the dough into a 6 by 12” rectangle about 3/4” thick and cut into 8 (3”) biscuits with a floured round cutter. Transfer to a foil-lined cookie sheet sprayed with pan spray. Brush the tops with the reserved Mocha Mix and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until risen and golden brown.
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While biscuits are baking, whip the Rich Whip until it holds a soft peak. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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When biscuits come out of the oven, remove them to a platter and split each one horizontally with a serrated knife. Spread the hot biscuits with margarine, then top with a generous ½ cup of peaches and some of the peach juice. Replace the tops and top with another few peaches.
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Serve with dollop of gingered whipped topping.
