Peach Ginger Shortcakes with Blueberry Sauce

It's not peak peach season here, but it's still warm out, so it's all about berries and other summertime fruits. This shortcake recipe is basically the one straight from Bon Appetit, and the blueberry sauce recipe is from allrecipes.com. Imagine that - I tried a Bo Friberg sauce recipe first that I hated, and lo and behold this one from a home cook website was just what I wanted.

The biscuit is, to me, the perfect texture, with just a hint of ginger. Combined with the tag team trio of peach and blueberry, and the shortcake soaking up some of the blueberry juice, and it's a kickass rustic dessert.

Peach Ginger Shortcakes
serves 6

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 10 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold salted butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger, divided
• 1/2 cup ginger ale
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 4 large peaches, halved, thinly sliced
  

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, 6 tablespoons sugar, and baking powder in large bowl. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until very coarse meal forms. Mix in 1/4 cup chopped ginger. Add ginger ale and sour cream, toss until moist clumps form. Gather dough into 7-inch log and cut crosswise into 6 equal rounds. Place on sheet, spaced apart (they will spread). Shape each into 2 1/2-inch diameter round. (Brush with one tablespoon milk or cream combined with 1 tablespoon sugar if you like - it helps give it a nicer golden color.)

Bake shortcakes until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool on sheet.

Meanwhile, toss peaches in large bowl with 4 tablespoons of sugar and remaining 1/4 cup chopped ginger. Halve shortcakes horizontally, place bottoms on plates. Top each with peaches and the top of shortcakes. Serve with warm blueberry sauce and/or lightly sweetened whipped cream.


Blueberry Sauce

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups blueberries
• pinch of salt

In saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, and water. Stir in blueberries. Bring to boil over medium heat and boil for 1 1/2 minutes to remove any starchy flavor.