Strawberry orange shortcake with rose whipped cream

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Strawberry orange shortcake with rose whipped cream

Yield: Makes 8 shortcakes

Ingredients

For the fruit

• 1/2 pound strawberries, sliced
• 4 blood oranges (or 2 regular oranges), segmented and cut in half
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar 
• 1 Tablespoon rose water

For the shortcake biscuits

• 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar 
• 1 Tablespoon orange zest (from 1 orange)
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted Challenge butter, cold and cubed
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

For the whipped cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sour cream 
• 3 Tablespoons (38 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon rose water

Directions

For the fruit

1. Combine strawberries, oranges, sugar, and rose water. Let sit at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the shortcake.

For the shortcake biscuits

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick mat.
2. Combine flour, sugar, orange zest, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and baking soda in large bowl.
3. Use pastry cutter or fingers to cut butter into dry ingredients until you have pea-sized crumbs.
4. Pour buttermilk into bowl and mix until it becomes cohesive dough.
5. Form dough into 8 mounds using ice cream scoop or 3-Tablespoon cookie scoop and place on baking sheet.
6. Sprinkle tops of biscuits with sparkling sugar if desired and place in oven.
7. Bake biscuits for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bottoms are browned and the tops are golden, and set aside to cool.
8. Once biscuits are cool, use serrated knife to cut biscuits in half horizontally.

For the whipped cream

1. Whisk heavy cream (by hand or in a stand mixer) in chilled bowl until soft peaks form. 
2. Add sour cream, sugar, and rose water and continue whisking until stiff peaks form.

Assembly

1. Plate bottom half of 1 shortcake biscuit.
2. Spoon macerated fruit over biscuit bottom. 
3. Top with generous dollop of whipped cream
4. Close with top half of biscuit.
5. Spoon more cream over shortcake if desired and serve immediately.

Lemon cardamom bars + food trends for 2021

 

This is a sponsored post by Challenge, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

And just like that, it's 2021! Happy New Year! Somehow 2020 both dragged on and flew by. Regardless, I am ready to kiss it goodbye! Or should I say quiche it goodbye? (Bad pun!) As we enter the new year, I'm sharing some food trends we can expect to see, as well as some recipes for incorporating the trends into your cooking at home. 

1. Bigger emphasis on breakfast: As more people continue to work from home and no longer have to worry about a long commute, they're finding they have extra time in the morning to focus on breakfast. So long are the days of grabbing a piece of toast or a bagel "to go." Pancakes, waffles, and omelets are no longer just for the weekends. 

2. Kicking up home cooking with gourmet condiments: As more people prepare meals at home and try to replicate restaurant experiences, cooking with gourmet condiments will be a big trend. Condiments are an easy way to add flavor to simple ingredients, plus they have a long shelf life. You can buy the condiments or find a way to make it yourself.

A recipe that combines the first two trends is this southwestern quiche with hot honey!

3. Coffee beyond the mug: Coffee-flavored products will pop up more and more in 2021. You will soon be able to get your coffee fix in the form of granolas, yogurt, and even alcohol. You'll find the flavoring in both sweet and savory treats.

4. Global flavor exploration: International travel is still a no-go, so more home cooks will experiment with global flavors at home. Eastern Mediterranean, North African, East/Southeast Asian, and Indian cuisines are the top influencers for trending ingredients. Personally, I've seen cardamom popping up more and more in the past month. Cardamom is an ancient spice native to Southern India. It's made from the seed pods of various plants in the ginger family. It's incredibly diverse and used in both sweet and savory dishes.

This recipe for coffee cardamom nuts combines the previous two trends!

I also wanted to showcase a sweet option for using cardamom. My mom used to always make cardamom bars to give out to neighbors during the holiday season, and they were so good and unique. Recently, I tried a lemon cardamom roll from my new favorite Indianapolis bakery, Leviathan Bakehouse, and the flavor was combination was heavenly! Cardamom is a high-impact ingredient that brings a level of warmth and earthiness to the sweet-tart notes of the lemon. The pastry inspired me to incorporate lemon juice and zest into my mom's cardamom bar recipe, and I'm so glad I did. 

Lemon cardamom bars

Ingredients

For the bars

• 1 cup (2 sticks) Challenge unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
• 1 egg, white and yolk separated
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped raw pecans

For the glaze

• 2 Tablespoons Challenge unsalted butter
• 1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• Lemon zest for topping, if desired

Directions 

For the bars

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cream butter and sugars together. Add egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.
3. In separate bowl, combine flour, cardamom, and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until combined.
4. Spread mixture evenly in 7-by-11-inch baking dish.
5. Brush mixture with beaten egg white and sprinkle pecans on top.
6. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.

For the glaze

1. While the bars are baking, melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Continue to heat the butter until you notice light brown specks at bottom of pan. This should take around 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar, milk, and lemon juice.
3. Glaze should be drizzling consistency. If it is too thick, add more milk.
4. Immediately after removing bars from oven, drizzle glaze over top.
5. Allow to cool before cutting. Top with lemon zest before serving.