Let Them Eat Healthy: Roasted Strawberry-Rhubarb Shortcakes with Orange Mascarpone Sauce

I think that strawberry shortcake is about as summer as you can get. Tart, intensely flavored berries combined with crumbly, buttery shortcakes and topped with a rich, creamy sauce...oh my gosh I want one now! This version combines two of my most favorite "first of the summer fruits," strawberries and rhubarb. I know rhubarb is not technically a fruit, it doesn't matter it goes so well with strawberry and is perfect exception in this dessert. I roasted my strawberries and rhubarb in sorghum and vanilla till they were soft and caramelized. The mixture was so incredible and full of flavor; sweet, tangy and slightly floral. I then heaped it on top of some vanilla, orange biscuits, which were crumbly and slightly salty; just the way I like my desserts, both sweet and savory. This all got a healthy dollop of homemade orange mascarpone sauce that was made with Vermont Creamery mascarpone and Maple Hill orange yogurt. Both of these products are grass fed, whole milk and are so thick and rich, they are like eating pudding! This all together made, strawberry-rhubarb shortcake heaven! I used the Martha Stewart biscuit recipe as my base and added some of my own touches to them. I like the drop biscuits because they are softer and soak up all the berry sauce really well. They are thick and not perfectly formed, I rather like rustic looking desserts. If you have a favorite biscuit recipe feel free to use it here and just add the vanilla, honey and orange to them for the same flavor profile. They are not the star anyway, just a vehicle for shoveling in strawberry-rhubarb perfection. All components of this dessert can be made ahead and served when ready.

This recipe makes 6 shortcakes, I use 2 biscuits per dessert.

Ingredients

1 Pint of fresh, organic strawberries, for serving, hulled and chopped.
1/4 Cup fair trade, organic powdered sugar, for dusting each dessert.

Biscuits

1 3/4 Cups unbleached, organic, all purpose flour, I use a locally milled, NY wheat.
2 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Sea salt
6 Tbsp pasture raised, unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes.
Zest one organic orange

Juice from zested orange
1 Vanilla bean, seeds scraped.
4 Tbsp local buckwheat honey, I used Rulison.
3/4 Cup pasture raised, whole milk, you might need more or less depending on your flour and humidity level of the day, I like to have a very sticky dough.

Strawberry-rhubarb Sauce

1 Pint organic, strawberries, hulled and chopped.
4 Stalks organic rhubarb, trimmed and chopped.
1/3 Cup fair trade, organic, raw cane sugar
1/4 Cup Sorghum syrup, maple syrup or honey can be substituted.
1 Vanilla bean, seeds scraped.
1 Tbsp organic orange zest
Juice from zested orange, mine had a few Tablespoons of juice.

Orange Mascarpone Sauce

1 (6oz) Container pasture raised, full fat orange yogurt, I used Maple Hill Creamery.
1 (8oz) Container pasture raised, full fat mascarpone cheese, I used Vermont Creamery.
3 Tbsp pasture raised, full fat cream cheese, softened, I used Organic Valley.
1 Vanilla bean, seeds scraped.
Zest one, organic orange.
Juice from zested orange, about 2 Tbsp.
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice.
1/4 Cup local buckwheat honey, I used Rulison, any local honey will do.

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two forks, till it looks like coarse meal.

In a small bowl mix the milk, vanilla, orange zest, orange juice and honey. Whisk till they are completely combined. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and mix just till combined. Drop with an ice cream scoop, or measure out equal amounts, onto the lined baking sheet. Mine were about 3 Tbsp each. If your dough seems too wet just add in a bit of flour till you get the consistency you desire.

Bake for 13 minutes or until they are golden brown, watch them they go very quickly from golden brown to burned. Remove and let cool completely.

While biscuits are baking mix together all the strawberry-rhubarb ingredients till the fruit is coated evenly. Pour into a large baking dish and bake in the 450 degree oven for 15 minutes or until the fruit is soft and the sauce is bubbling. Remove to cool completely. Place in the fridge till you are ready to serve. It will thicken upon standing.

In a medium size bowl whisk together all mascarpone sauce ingredients till well combined. Store in the fridge till ready to serve. I like to give the sauce time to meld flavors, so its best to let this sit for about an hour.

To serve, place one biscuit on a serving plate, top with strawberry-rhubarb sauce, top with another biscuit then dollop this with the mascarpone sauce. Sprinkle with fresh strawberries and dust with some powdered sugar, enjoy the ultimate taste of summer!