Remember that Meyer lemon curd I made last month? I had all these grand ideas about recipes I would use it in, but at the end of the day, I just couldn’t keep my spoon out of it ๐ I wound up with just a little left, and was determined to repurpose it. When I came across this idea for a shortcake, I was sold. Strawberry shortcake is among my top 3 desserts of all time, but good strawberries are a rarity this time of year in the northeast so as much as I’d have loved a strawberry shortcake on Valentine’s Day, it likely wasn’t going to happen. A citrus-y winter variation on the dessert, though? That we can do, and I was pretty sure it’d be right up my alley.
The shortcakes at the heart of this dessert are a cinch to throw together – just a few simple pantry ingredients and about 5 minutes of hands-on time. When you cut into the biscuits after baking, the little specks of Meyer lemon zest that were incorporated are not only visible, but the flavor they impart is bright and fresh. You could really take this dessert in any direction you want – I spread whipped cream and the curd between the two halves of the biscuits, as well as on top, along with a few raspberries. I liked the sweetness the whipped cream added, but you could skip it if you’re looking to save calories. You can make all of the components ahead of time, so this is a great dessert for entertaining too. If you can’t find Meyers, this would probably be equally as good with regular lemon curd, or even grapefruit or blood orange.
Happy Valentine’s Day! If you’re in the camp that celebrates this day, hope it’s a good one ๐
Meyer Lemon Shortcakes with Meyer Lemon Curd
from Bon Appetit, March 2010 (via Epicurious)
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons Meyer lemon zest
1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons chilled heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Meyer lemon curd
raspberries (or whatever fruit you prefer)
whipped cream
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the sugar and lemon zest to a medium bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. Add the butter, then use a pastry cutter (or your fingertips) to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1 cup of the cream, just until the dough begins to clump together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and gather together. Press into a 7-inch round (about 1-inch thick) and use a 2-inch cutter to cut rounds (or press into a rectangle 1-inch high and just cut into squares, like I did). Gather the scraps (if you cut rounds) and cut additional rounds. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.
Brush the tops of the biscuits with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and sprinkle them with the turbinado sugar. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool completely.
To assemble: Cut one of the biscuits in half. Spread the bottom with a layer of whipped cream, then a dollop of curd and a few raspberries (I cut mine in half). Place the top half of the biscuit on top and finish with additional whipped cream, curd and raspberries for garnish.
Makes 8 biscuits
Happy Valentineโs Day and what a great treat this would be to have today. Lemon curd AND raspberries…two faves of mine.
These warm my heart! So pretty!
That looks delicious! What a great Valentine’s Day dessert.
YUM! I want to make these tonight. My turbinado sugar was hard as a rock so I tossed it. Would some sparkling white sugar (king arthur http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/sparkling-white-sugar-1-lb) be just as good?
Do you think I could freeze after cutting and bake at a later date?
I love that shot of the inside of the shortcake! It’s images like that that motivate me to try recipes – good work!
@Allison – Yep, the sparkling white sugar would be fine. You’re just adding a little crunch and sparkle on the top ๐ I definitely think you could freeze these after cutting. Hope you enjoy!
I cannot find decent looking raspberries, but for some reason have had fine success with strawberries. And I still cannot find these meyer lemons anywhere. So I will have to drool over them in virtual reality.
What a great use of leftover lemon curd (whatever that is)! I rarely make shortcakes but these look too good to pass up. Strawberries are just starting to come in here (no organic yet, but at least they’re from California, not out of the country).
All this lemony goodness and raspberries thrown in as well…yahoo! Looks delicious and beautiful.
Happy Valentine’s day!! Your shortcakes look amazing.
The lemon curd is calling me. I can taste its sweet tartness right now! Bring on spring. ๐
wow this looks divine!
where did you get that cute spoon? ๐
@Jaime – Thanks! I assume you mean the green spoon? It’s from Crate and Barrel ๐ I bought it a while ago, but I think I’ve seen them there more recently too.
Oh yum. I’d have to go for it and include the whipped cream!
I do remember that lemon curd post, because I went and made some curd that day! It was amazing, and I never went further than spreading it on toast. This will be worth making another batch.