The simplicity of this recipe really allows the ingredients to shine. I think fresh summer tomatoes are a must here – the often bland grocery store options just wouldn’t do the dish justice. I’ve only had goat cheese a few times and find its tanginess a little aggressive, but it worked here. Texturally the topping was just like whipped cream too – so light and fluffy! These tomato scallion shortcakes make a wonderful lunch.
By Tracey
Tomato Scallion Shortcakes with Whipped Goat Cheese
from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman
Ingredients:
Scallion Biscuits
- 2 cups pls 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cold whole milk
Tomato Salad
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- pinch of sugar
- pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 lb (about 1 1/3 cups) cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
Whipped Goat Cheese
- 3 tablespoons cold heavy cream
- 4 oz goat cheese, softened
2 scallions (green parts only), thinly sliced, to garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the add and use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter until the pieces are no larger than small peas – the mixture should look like coarse meal. Mix in the scallion, and then add the milk, stirring just until a rough dough comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently pat the dough out to 3/4-inch thickness and using a 3-inch round cutter, cut biscuits from the dough (don’t twist the cutter, use a straight up and straight down motion). Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between them. Gather the scraps and cut more biscuits until you have 6-8 biscuits.
Bake the biscuits for about 14-15 minutes, or until they has risen and are golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and set aside while you make the remaining components.
To make the tomato salad: Whisk the oil, vinegar, salt, sugar, and pepper together until well combined. Add the tomatoes and gently toss until they are coated in the dressing.
To make the whipped goat cheese: Add the heavy cream to a medium bowl, and use a whisk (you could do it with a hand mixer) to whip the cream vigorously until soft peaks form. Add the softened goat cheese and continue whisking until the mixture is light and fluffy.
To assemble: Split the biscuits in half. Top each of the bottom halves with some of the tomato salad and then a dollop of the whipped goat cheese. Garnish with scallions. Serve immediately.
Makes 6-8 shortcakes.
