Shortcake Biscuits, Lemon Curd & Lemonade From Cindy Bingham

Shortcake Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons butter

2/3 cup milk

1 egg yolk, well beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add butter and cut into dry ingredients using a fork or pastry cutter. Mix wet ingredients and add to dry. Mix as little as possible until dry ingredients are just moistened. Dump onto lightly floured surface and knead very lightly, 4 or 5 times and pat dough into 1/3 to ½ inch thick sheet. Use biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or glass cut to cut out rounds (or squares).  Move to lightly oiled cookie sheet. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle on sugar. Bake @ 350 for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients

3 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
4 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Using a peeler, zester, or grater remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.
Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.
Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F, or just below simmer. Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 Tablespoon cold water
1 cup cold heavy or whipping cream
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small bowl put the 1 tablespoon of water and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Microwave for 30 seconds. Gelatin should be clear and melted.

 In the bowl of a mixer, beat the cream until it gets thick and starts to form peaks. Gradually make your way to high speed otherwise you will be wearing it. And so will your counters, ceiling, floors, you get the idea.

Gradually add in your sugar and the vanilla. When the cream is whipped, stream the gelatin over the whipped cream, while you are beating it. This makes it so your whipped cream won’t weep or break until it is used. It can sit in the fridge for a couple of days and still be usable.

LEMONADE 

1 cup sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup) (I reduce so it isn't so sweet)

1 cup water (for the simple syrup)

1 cup lemon juice

3 to 4 cups cold water or lemon lime soda (to dilute)

 Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.

 While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.

 Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it.

Serve with ice, sliced lemons.