Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcake – In Memory of My Mom
This Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcake is in honour of my mom who passed away quite suddenly, and unexpectantly in early May.
Some of the fondest memories of my childhood centre around baking with my mom so it seems fitting to honour her memory, and celebrate her life with a recipe using one of her favorite ingredients, rhubarb.
My mom lived a long and full life, she would have been celebrating her 95th birthday in July this summer.
She lived her life to the fullest, not for her wasting time napping in the afternoon!
She was lucky to be healthy and active, not to mention feisty, right up to the end. She was such a force of nature, It seems almost impossible that she is no longer with us.
“A mother’s hug lasts long after she lets go.” —Unknown
She was a loving mother, godmother and aunt and a doting grandmother, great grandmother, great, great grandmother! She was a fierce and loyal friend and was loved and will be missed by the many people whose lives she touched.
Mom loved to garden and took pride in the huge vegetable plot she planted every spring. She could grow just about anything and could coax flowers out of even the most reluctant orchid or African violet.
She was an amazing baker. Bread, pies, cakes, cookies, you name it. I don’t think we ever had store bought desserts when I was growing up.
My mom LOVED rhubarb! Whether freshly picked from the garden and dipped in a little sugar, made into jam, or baked into pies, muffins, or my dad’s favorite, a Blushing Betty. Mom would always freeze a bunch of the rhubarb from her garden along with some strawberries so that even in the dead of a cold Ontario winter we could have a taste of summer in the form of a strawberry rhubarb pie.
So, this Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcake is for you mom. A few tears may have been shed in the making, but it has a whole lot of happy memories and love in there as well.
The Biscuits
I’m pretty sure the recipe for these biscuits originated from an old Blue Ribbon Cookbook my mom had. Over the years she tweaked it until she ended up with what I have today.
Using sour cream in the dough results in an incredibly light and tender biscuit, perfect for turning into shortcake, but equally good served with just a pat of butter or a dollop of your favorite jam for breakfast or any time of the day.
The Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
You can’t go wrong with the combination of strawberries and rhubarb! Roasted rhubarb is a wondrous thing. The colour becomes even more intense, and the taste is both tart and sweet. Combined with beautiful sweet strawberries and you have one of nature’s perfect matches. I like to toss the rhubarb with just a bit of orange juice to add a light citrus note to the roasted fruit.
Ingredients
Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
- 4 rhubarb stalks
- 250 ml strawberries, hulled and cut in half
- 30 ml sugar
- 45 ml orange juice
Sour Cream Shortcake Biscuits
- 375 ml all-purpose flour
- 20 ml sugar
- 10 ml baking powder
- 2 ml baking soda
- 1 ml salt
- 60 ml cold butter, cubed
- 1 large egg
- 175 ml 14% sour cream
- whipped cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175 C
- Hull the strawberries and cut them in half, or quarters if they are quite large and set aside while. Cut the rhubarb into 2-3 cm pieces and place in an ovenproof dish. Add the sugar and orange juice and toss gently. Place in the oven and roast for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the strawberries and roast for another 10 minutes or until the rhubarb is cooked through and the strawberries are slightly softened, but not falling apart. Remove from the oven and set aside. The strawberry rhubarb compote can be made ahead of time and stored, refrigerated, for 3-4 days.
- Increase the oven temperature to 200°C and set one of the racks in the centre of the oven.
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, work in the butter until the mixture resembles rough crumbs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and sour cream. Add to the dry ingredients, and stir with a fork until it forms a soft ragged dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat it down into a rough disc. Gently turn the dough 6-8 times until you have a fairly smooth dough. Gently pat out the dough a 2cm thick rectangle. Cut the dough into biscuits using a 5 cm floured biscuit cutter and place 5 cm apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until tall and golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on rack.
To Serve
- Slice the shortcake biscuits in half or gently pull apart. Place a bottom half of a shortcake on each plate. Top with a generous spoonful of the strawberry/rhubarb compote. Cover with a top half of a biscuit. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and more of the compote. Serve immediately.