Nectar: BUBBYS

The markets and roadsides are spilling with strawberries right now and one of our (and likely yours as well!) favorite things to do every Spring is indulge in a classic Strawberry Shortcake. And I don't use the word "indulge" lightly here. Using Bubby's take on the James Beard Cream Biscuit recipe (by adding a cup of sour cream) and of course dipping the whole damn thing into melted butter before baking... makes it rather indulgent indeed. The result is pretty much the perfect biscuit - buttery and slightly crunchy on the outside and soft and almost savory on the inside.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

2 pints of organic strawberries (sliced - stems discarded)

2 T. organic sugar

Toss the sliced strawberries with the sugar and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to overnight.

Bubby's Variation on Mr. Beard's Cream Biscuits

5 c. flour

1 t. kosher salt

2 1/2 T. baking powder

1/3 c. sugar

1 c. heavy cream

1 c. sour cream

12 T. melted butter (the recipe calls for unsalted, but I love the extra salt in the salted variety)

Preheat the oven to 425 F and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine all of the dry ingredients and mix together well. In another bowl, mix the heavy cream and sour cream - add this to your dry ingredients. I found working with my hands was best here - begin to mix the dough until you can form a ball of dough (though be careful not to overwork the dough).

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface so it's about 1/2" thick. Using a biscuit cutter (I don't have one so I used a glass cup) create 2" rounds and dunk them into your prepared melted butter. Set on the baking sheet. Continue until you've used up all of the dough.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until they begin to turn golden brown. Rotate the pans once so that they brown evenly. Cool completely on a cooling rack before assembling.

To Assemble:

Make the whipped cream by whipping 1 c. of heavy whipping cream with 1 t. vanilla and 2 T. powdered sugar until soft peaks emerge.

Slice a biscuit open and place the bottom half on a plate. Add whipped cream, then a layer of strawberries. Put a layer of whipped cream on the inside of the top half, then place that half of the biscuit on top of your shortcake. Top that with whipped cream and more strawberries.

(Note: My biscuits did not rise as much as I expected they would and I'm nearly 100% certain it's because I added too much flour to my work surface when kneading the dough - so instead of slicing the biscuits in half, I used two whole biscuits - a happy accident!)

Remember how I said I'd never tried a Brussel sprout before? Well, I have another one for you. I've never tried rhubarb. I like to blame it on growing up in the Heartland - don't recall seeing it on a lot of the diner menus all that much. And as transplants to the South, I find it my unofficial duty to expose my girls to as much of the regions culinary charms as possible - or as palatable. And as we try to explore more seasonal cooking and baking (never mind our little blue and blackberry detour earlier this week) - I've noticed the rhubarb starting to show off it's rose-hued legs at the market.

This post will also set off a new series on Nectar featuring recipes from Bubby's (started informally here.) I'm currently doing some photography and art direction for the restaurant and we thought this would be a fun way to sort of bring Bubby's home. Ron Silver, the owner and founder of the New York institution is quoted in his Bubby's Homemade Pies, "We have no secret recipes (except for one: our barbecue sauce), and I have always made it clear to our customers that I would rather they eat great food at home, and if they want our recipes I am happy to share them." I mean seriously. Does it get anymore refreshing that that? So every couple of weeks, I will be cooking and baking from both of Bubby's current books as well as recipes from the restaurant itself. I hope that it not only encourages you to seek out this NYC icon next time you're in town, but more importantly, encourage you to seek out seasonal ingredients and get flour in your hair in your own kitchen!

RHUBARB CRISP

(for the topping)

1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar (I only had dark on hand and loved the result)

3/4 c. flour

3/4 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. chopped nuts (I used sliced and toasted almonds)

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/8 t. ground cloves

1/8 t. ground nutmeg

12 T. unsalted butter (melted)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(the filling)

3 lbs. of rhubarb (sliced in 1/2 inch pieces - about 6 cups)

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. flour

1/2 lemon (juiced)

1 T. lemon zest

2 T. unsalted butter (melted)

pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Add all of the dry topping ingredients together and mix thoroughly. Add the melted butter and coat everything completely. Place in the refrigerator while preparing the filling...

Toss all of the filling ingredients together and mix well so that everything is evenly coated. Pour into an 8 or 9 inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Top with the crisp topping so that it covers all of the fruit.

Place your prepared dish on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top just begins to turn brown. Turn the heat down to 350F and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until the juice is bubbling and the top is crispy and brown.

Let sit for 10-15 minutes before cutting. You can keep the crisp at room temperature for a few days - crisp the top again by placing servings in the oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes.