Annemarie Ahearn’s Biscuits with Summer Berries Recipe

Berries with biscuits and cream evoke memories of carefree days.

Berries with biscuits and cream
Photographed by Mark Fleming.
By Annemarie Ahearn
From our July 2015 issue

The berries of July bring back memories of running with my cousins through blueberry fields in Dresden, our hands violet, residual sugar coating our tongues. While the older kids were determined to fill their baskets, the young ones were just as happy for the instant gratification of sweet berries at their fingertips. At Salt Water Farm, we’ve established berries of all kinds along the seashore and in patches beyond the vegetable gardens: alpine strawberries, high- and low-bush blueberries, red and black raspberries, blackberries, elderberries, chokeberries, and honey berries. And nothing makes me feel more like a kid than devouring a bowl of berries and cream.

Biscuits with Summer Berries

Serves 6–8

For the biscuits:

1½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup stone-ground cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons melted butter for brushing

For the berries and cream:

2 cups each strawberries, raspberries,
and blueberries

½ cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for the
whipped cream

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons elderflower cordial

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

sprig of mint for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and the ¼ cup sugar in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse meal. Add 1 cup of cream and stir until the dough comes together. Place the dough on a clean, floured work surface and form into a flattened disk, 6 inches in diameter. Cut into 6–8 wedges.

To prepare the berries, sprinkle the ½ cup of sugar over the berries along with 2 tablespoons flour in a medium-size baking dish, stir to fully incorporate, and let macerate for 10–20 minutes. Place biscuits on top in any pattern you like. Brush each biscuit with butter and sprinkle with raw sugar. Place in the center of oven for 25–30 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and the berries are bubbling and their juices have begun to evaporate. Let cool for 10 minutes. Whip the cream to stiff peaks with the elderflower cordial, vanilla, and tablespoon of sugar.

Scoop the biscuits and berries into small bowls. Place a scoop of whipped cream on each of the biscuits, and garnish with a sprig of mint.