Sweet Cornmeal Shortcakes with Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

Baking is truly my culinary achilles heel and nowhere is that more apparent than when I try my hand at biscuit making. We love biscuits (really, who doesn't?) and many things about biscuits would lead you to believe they'd be pretty darn simple to bake up. The ingredient list is relatively short, and great biscuits have been made by women for generations - even pioneer women without any of the fancy gadgets I have at my disposal. Still, I've made some unbelievably awful batches of biscuits. Ones that don't rise, taste bland and end up looking like hockey pucks. My desire to be able to whip up light, fluffy buttery biscuits at a moment's notice has helped me persevere and I've finally been able to make some that are a-ok. Not great, not the best, but not bad, either. I owe my meanger attempts at biscuit success to: buying a fresh can of baking powder, using self-rising flour, and handling the dough as little as humanly possible.

I decided to try my hand at making some sweet biscuits to go with my homemade strawberry rhubarb sauce, which is made all the easier by the fact that I now have a humongous, overgrown rhubarb plant right outside my doorstep. It's an original summer recipe by yours truly and is well-worth the effort of homemade biscuits. Serve with your favorite fruit sauce and ice cream.

Sweet Cornmeal Shortcakes

• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of yellow cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  
• 6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a mixing bowl.
   
2. Using a pastry blender or food processor, cut in butter pieces until dough is crumbly with the clumps the size of small peas.
3. Make a small well in the center of the bowl and gently pour in the heavy cream and beaten egg.
   
4. Stir with a spatula until *just* combined into a wet dough and, using floured hands, turn out onto a large greased baking sheet.
5. Lightly knead or roll dough out into a large circle of 1/2-inch thickness. The dough will be messy and will not have a perfect shape; they are meant to look rustic and will taste delicious regadless. Cut into 6 or 7 scone-shaped triangles and gently separate one another by at least inch. If desired, use additional cream or a beaten egg to brush atop the biscuits and sprinkle an additional tablespoon of sugar over the top.
6. Bake until lightly browned or for 15 - 18 minutes and cool on a baking rack.

Biscuits cooling on the rack

Easy rhubarb sauce: 3-4 long stalks cut up with 1/2 pint strawberries, 1/2 - 3/4 cup of sugar (depending on sweetness of your rhubarb), a squirt of lemon juice and 1/4 cup of water simmered for 20 minutes until, well, saucy. Yum.