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Kathryn and I had the rare opportunity to sit on a beautiful lakeside dock in her home state of New Hampshire this past week and enjoy each other’s company.  We dipped our feet in the lake and contemplated What is the best summer dessert?

Please note, however, that when I say contemplation, with the two of us that tends to really mean competition.  Cakes, pies and tarts can send us straight into a tizzy!  Gluten-free, dairy-free, sweet, savory, fruit or none, Gah!  But when push comes to shove, Kathryn usually wins…because she’s the true baker between the two of us and let me tell you, I think all of you are glad for that.  

She pulled out this recipe that has been a staple in her household for many, many years.  But you see, even though it is her recipe, the main ingredient is still where I have a slight leg up.  And why might you ask?  Well, that part’s easy.  Because it’s blueberry season in Maine!  And for any of you that spend time on the coast of Maine, of course you know where the world’s best blueberries are.

On the side of Rt. 1 under all those pretty little umbrellas with the great homemade signs reading, “Wild Maine Blueberries!”  I, in particular, am drawn to the sign that reads “Clean Wild Maine Blueberries” as if we need a reminder that perhaps the rest of the vendors’ berries are not the freshest of the bunch.  I’m not going to lie, the sign with the hand painted smiling blueberry tends to draw me in as well.  Because who can resist a happy berry? While the blueberries do not actually come from the side of Rt. 1, the vendors scattered across mid-coast Maine’s largest throughway, reminds us that the state of Maine is certainly the place for fresh wild blueberries this time of year.  So, I grabbed a few pints of these beauties and drove them all the way to NH where Kathryn turned them into these amazing blueberry peach shortcakes.  So in the end, we both won.

Makes 6 Blueberry Peach In Season Shortcakes

What you’ll need:

2 cups flour
2/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 stick butter
Zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
5 tablespoons whole milk

3 pints blueberries
1 tablespoon sugar
8 peaches- sliced

Vanilla ice cream

3-4 sprigs of mint


What to do:

Pre-heat oven to 375°

In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, and baking powder and mix well.  Add the stick of butter and with a pastry blender (or a fork) cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is pea-sized.

Zest the lemon into the flour mixture and mix well. Whip one egg in a separate bowl and add then add to the flour mixture. Add the milk one tablespoon at the time and continue to blend until the dough forms into a ball.

Place the shortcake dough on a lightly floured surface and with rolling pin roll dough until 1 inch thick. With a biscuit cutter, cut out as many shortcakes as you can. Re-gather the dough and roll out until 1 inch thick. Cut and repeat the process until all the dough is used up.

Place the shortcakes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Whip the remaining egg and brush it on the tops of the shortcakes with a pastry brush.  Bake for 25-30 min, until tops of shortcakes are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

Place 1 pint of the blueberries in a food processor and blend for 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and blend for another minute.


Assembly time!

Slice the shortcakes in half and place the bottom half on a plate. Pour 3-4 tablespoons of the blueberry syrup on the shortcake bottom half. Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the blueberry syrup covered shortcake. Sprinkle some blueberries and the sliced peaches over the ice cream. Place the top of the shortcake on the side and garnish with mint.  


You can find even more at www.yankeecraftybitch.com.

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