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Recipe Detail Page
Fennel and Rhubarb Stacks
Winter 2008
These tender cream biscuits are winter shortcakes that are fragrant with cinnamon and overflowing with tart-sweet filling. Serve for dessert or as part of a brunch. Organic cane sugar, available at health food stores, is a coarse sugar that is perfect for adding texture to baked goods and interesting to serve with coffee and tea.
Serves 8
Filling
3 cups (750 mL) thinly sliced (crosswise) fresh fennel
1¼ cup (300 mL) granulated sugar
3 tbsp (45 mL) cornstarch
1½ cups (375 mL) cranberry juice
6 cups (1.5 L) frozen cut rhubarb
1½ tsp (7 mL) pure vanilla extract
Cream Biscuits
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
2½ tsp (12 mL) baking powder
3 tbsp (45 mL) granulated sugar
½ tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
¼ cup (50 mL) cold butter
1 cup (250 mL) 18% cream (see Tip)
1 egg
1 tbsp (15 mL) coarse or granulated sugar
1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream, whipped
1. Chop fennel slices coarsely. Mix sugar with cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Stir in juice; add fennel. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently; then reduce heat so mixture just simmers, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut any extremely large pieces of rhubarb in half.
2. When fennel is tender, stir in vanilla. Stir in rhubarb; increase heat briefly until mixture bubbles. Stir once, and then without any further stirring, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Remove from heat. Filling can be served warm or at room temperature and can be made ahead, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Gently warm before using. Avoid vigorous stirring as this breaks up rhubarb.
3. Arrange oven rack to just above centre.
4. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
5. Line baking tray with parchment or coat with baking spray. Stir flour with baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Grate cold butter into flour mixture; toss. Using a fork, mix cream with egg until smooth. Stir into flour mixture until dough forms.
6. Turn dough out onto flour-dusted surface; knead twice. Pat to about ¾-inch (2-cm) thick. Cut 8 rounds with a 2½-inch (6-cm) round cutter, pressing scraps of dough as needed into shaping of next biscuit cut. Place rounds on baking sheet. Dampen each top with water or cream; sprinkle with coarse sugar.
7. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until richly golden. Cool on a rack. (Biscuits can be frozen airtight for up to 2 weeks. Warm before using.) To serve, split biscuits horizontally in 2. Spoon filling over bottom, top with sugar-coated half. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
Tip: Don’t bother buying different creams. Whipping cream, which keeps for a very long time and thus is always in my refrigerator, can be made into 18% cream by cutting it 50-50 with milk. Or cut with milk for 10% coffee cream by using a quarter whipping cream to three-quarters milk.
Serves 8
