Strawberry Shortcake--with a Twist

LUCY BURDETTE: I know Father's Day has flown past, but I couldn't resist a shout-out to two fabulous fathers, my dad on the left and my father-in-law on the right. We miss them so!

And I wanted to make something special but not too complicated to help celebrate Father's Day for John. 


It's hard to resist the idea of strawberry shortcake, right? Especially since last Saturday was "National Strawberry Shortcake Day!"Fresh strawberries, crisp, warm

biscuits, homemade whipped cream. The problem is the reality often doesn't quite match up with that fantasy. I'd rather pass than gobble a bread-y supermarket biscuit. And whipped cream out of a can? Just can't do it. 

But as I was making biscuits for dinner the other night, adding a little white whole wheat flour instead of all white, and whirring the oats so they had just enough texture, I thought--now these would be perfect for strawberry shortcake! They are whole grain, but not in an obnoxious aren't I healthy way, and they soak up the strawberry juice without disintegrating into mush:). 

For the biscuits: Make a recipe of the Cottage Oat biscuits a la Jane Brody--recipe right here. Or, if you were clever enough to freeze some, take a few out to thaw.

For the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy or whipped cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 big ripe strawberry, mashed
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

I decided to experiment with adding a little strawberry to the cream so it would come out slightly pink:). So I mashed one big strawberry and mixed it with the sugar. I was worried about making the whipped cream watery, but next time I think I'd use two strawberries. So whip the cream until it's thick, add the vanilla, whip in the strawberry-sugar mixture. You can do this ahead and refrigerate.

For the strawberries, themselves:

 2 cups of strawberries, cleaned and sliced
1 Tbsp sugar

My sister has always taught me that if you rinse fruit and veggies that aren't organic in a bowl of water to which white vinegar has been added, you lose pesticide residue. (I almost always listen to her LOL, so you probably should too!)

Slice the strawberries, stir in the sugar, refrigerate until you're ready to put everything together.


Warm the biscuits, split them open and heap with strawberries, then add the pink whipped cream.  Voila! A celebration fit for a king!

Photo showcases strawberries

Better shot of the biscuit

MURDER WITH GANACHE, the fourth Key West mystery, is in stores now. DEATH WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS will be out in December.

 Follow Lucy on Facebook

And Twitter

And Pinterest.

Breakfast for Supper: Omelets!

LUCY BURDETTE: I know I can't be the only one who panics once in a while about the question: What's for supper? I can remember one bit of advice my father got years ago when he was a recent widower--always start by putting a potato in the oven, then you'll figure out the rest of it. Hmmmm...not that helpful!

When stumped, I often declare "omelet night." The omelets can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes, the innards can be varied according to what's in the frig, and my husband's always happy with the results. I am too:).

4 eggs
grated cheese
chopped onions or scallions
3/4 cup chopped broccoli (or other veggies to taste)
4 slices bacon, chopped and fried crisp
Butter and/or olive oil for frying





Heat a little butter and olive oil in a ten-inch skillet. Saute the onions and broccoli (or other veggies) until almost soft. If using bacon, fry it until crisp in a second skillet, drain and set aside. Whip the eggs in a small bowl with a dash of water. Grate the cheese.

When the veggies are soft, add another tablespoon of oil or butter. Pour the eggs into the skillet on top of the cooked vegetables. Cook on medium-low for a few minutes until it begins to look set around the edges. Sprinkle the cheese (and Bacon, if using) over half the omelet. Tip the pan to let the eggs run off to the sides and cook a little more.
.

When the omelet looks mostly cooked and the cheese melted, carefully flip one side over the other and cook a few minutes longer.

Serve with a cottage-oat biscuit  or a cheddar cheese cornmeal scone and green salad.

And use the time you saved with an easy supper to read--maybe the latest Key West food critic mystery? TOPPED CHEF can be ordered wherever books are sold! And please "like" Lucy on Facebook and Follow her on Twitter.

Lucy Burdette's 15 Bean Soup

When I lived in Tennessee many years ago (that's me on the left with my pal Carolyn on the right,) it was common for folks to serve "soup beans" and corn bread for supper. This is basically just pinto beans and onions cooked for hours until soft, and then garnished with more onions, cheese, and maybe some homemade pickle relish and Tabasco sauce.

However, my husband is not a big fan. But he does love this fifteen bean soup, which is easy, tasty and filling--good for a night when you've been busy with holiday preparations or don't feel like cooking something fancy.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb 15-Bean soup mix (this is in the dried bean section in your supermarket. Please throw out the little packet of so-called "ham seasoning"--it's mostly salt and preservatives)
32 oz box natural beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis (for a little zip)
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery with leaves, washed and chopped
water as needed
cheese for garnish

Start by opening the bag of beans and quickly sorting through to be sure you don't have any little pebbles etc. Wash the beans well, dump them in a big pot, and cover with about an inch of water. Bring to boil, simmer for a few minutes, then turn off the heat and cover. Let them sit about an hour. 

Meanwhile, chop your vegetables and saute briefly. 

Turn the heat back on the beans and add the stock. Cook until the beans are starting to get soft--this might take two hours. Test a big bean now and then to see how they are coming.

Then add in the tomatoes, onion, and celery, and simmer another half hour to 45 minutes.  Add water as necessary to keep the liquid level just above the beans. 

When the soup is done, serve in bowls with lots of cheddar cheese, a green salad and corn bread or biscuits. (Actually, the biscuits to the left are cheese and cornmeal scones. I'll give you that recipe in the new year...)

Y'all come back now! And happy holidays! Hope you get a few mysteries in your stocking:).

You can read more about the Key West food critic mysteries, including AN APPETITE FOR MURDER and DEATH IN FOUR COURSES at www.lucyburdette.com or on Facebook.

Cottage Oat Biscuits a la Jane Brody

LUCY BURDETTE: This is not exactly a traditional Thanksgiving recipe, but it could be. You could serve on the Thanksgiving table or later at night make delicious little sandwiches or the next day with your turkey soup! 

I started making these biscuits twenty-five years ago--and I bet I've made 250 batches--they are that good. And good for you too, loaded with oats and cottage cheese.

The original recipe came from Jane Brody, who made them by hand. I make them in the food processor, which is much, much easier. It will take you longer to clean up than it will to put them together. And I add white whole wheat flour, and sometimes chop up some chives when I'm kneading the dough together.

We eat them with soup or omelets or as the basis for little sandwiches or even warm them up and serve them with honey and butter in place of dessert. Oh don't let me forget, they are the perfect base for strawberry shortcake!

Ingredients

1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup ground oats (rolled oats whirred in the food processor for a minute)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cream of tartar
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 and 1/2 cups 2% milk fat cottage cheese

Preheat the oven to 425.

First grind the oats in the processor. I like leaving them chunky because the half-ground oats add to the texture. Add the other dry ingredients to the bowl and process them briefly. Cut the butter into chunks, add to the processor bowl, and pulse until the pieces are pea-sized.

In a 2-cup measuring container, beat two eggs, then beat in the cottage cheese. Add all of this to the bowl and pulse until the batter gathers into a big mass. Scrape the batter out onto a well-floured surface and knead briefly until it's no longer sticky and you can shape it into a rectangle--make this about 3/4 inches high, and maybe 6 inches by 6 inches. The size will depend on how big you like your biscuits. Dip a knife into flour and cut the rectangle into twelve pieces. 

Move the dough to an ungreased baking pan, leaving room for the biscuits to rise while cooking. Bake about 10 minutes until the tops are browned.

These freeze really well so you can pop them into the toaster oven when you need a little treat--if there are any left over. 

And a warm biscuit with butter and honey would be the perfect thing to eat while reading DEATH IN FOUR COURSES!

You can learn more about Lucy Burdette and her Key West food critic mysteries at her website or on Facebook or Twitter.