Raspberry Shortcake with Rose Geranium Cream

Varietal: Dessert Wine (Late-Harvest Riesling)                                                           

Serves 8

For 17 years, Chef Jerry Traunfeld cooked at the venerable Herbfarm restaurant, famous the world over for its nine-course, prix-fixe dinners and wine pairings centered around regional, seasonal ingredients and a bounty of fresh herbs from the restaurant’s massive kitchen garden. In late 2007, he left to open his own restaurant, Poppy, named after his mother. Both restaurants emphasize the use of fresh herbs in the creative dishes, such as this super summer shortcake napped with rose-scented cream. Pair the dessert with a sweet, viscous, aromatic wine, such as a Late-Harvest Riesling, and toast to the bounty of summer! Leading Northwest producers include Kiona, Hogue, and Washington Hills, all from Washington State.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into four pieces

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whole milk

Rose Geranium Cream (Recipe follows)

4 cups (2 pints) fresh raspberries

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and reserve.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, the 1/4 cup sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two crisscrossed knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the sour cream and milk.

3. Drop the dough in eight mounds onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool slightly before splitting.

4. To serve, cut the biscuits in half horizontally. Put the bottom halves on dessert plates and spoon large dollops of Rose Geranium Cream over each. Cover with berries, letting them spill out the sides, and replace the biscuit tops. Serve immediately.

Rose Geranium Cream

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

12 large fresh rose geranium leaves

1. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the rose geranium leaves, cover, remove from the heat, and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Strain into a small mixing bowl, pressing the solids with a wooden spoon to force out as much cream as possible. Discard the rose geranium, cover the cream, and refrigerate until completely chilled.

2. Just before serving, whip the chilled cream to medium-soft peaks.

Cook’s Hint: To measure flour in this recipe, Jerry recommends spooning the flour into the measuring cup, then leveling it off with a straight edge (such as a kitchen knife). To be even more precise, measure your flour using a kitchen scale; it should weigh 9 ounces.

Recipe reprinted from the Pike Place Market Cookbook, Second Edition (Sasquatch Books, $18.95) by Braiden Rex-Johnson.