1/2cupheavy cream, plus more for brushing(4 ounces)
1/2cupplain, whole milk Greek yogurt(4 ounces)
1tablespooncoarse (turbinado)sugar, for sprinkling
Honey Yogurt Chantilly:
1cupheavy whipping cream(8 ounces)
1cupplain, whole milk Greek yogurt(8 ounces)
2tablespoonsmild honey, or to taste(1 1/2 ounces)
Lemon Verbena Nectarines:
6-8medium nectarines, fragrant and ripe but firm
2tablespoonssugar, or to taste
1tablespoonlemon juice, or to taste
10large lemon verbena leaves
Instructions
Make the biscuits:
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425ÂșLine a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter slices and work them in with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture looks like a coarse meal with some larger, pea-sized butter bits. Whisk together the yogurt and cream; gradually add this to the flour mixture, stirring and tossing gently, until the mixture begins to come together. (You may need to knead it gently with your hands to make this happen. If it still won't come together, dribble in a bit more heavy cream until it does.)
Gently press the dough into a ball, and place it on a surface dusted with cornmeal. Sprinkle a bit of cornmeal over the dough, and press it into a 1" high round. Use a fluted 2 1/2" biscuit cutter (or 3" for larger shortcaketo cut out rounds as close together as possible. Place the biscuits 2" apart on the lined baking sheet. Gently press the dough scraps together and repeat, until you've used up all the dough.
Brush the tops of the biscuits with heavy cream, and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake the biscuits until their tops and bottoms are golden, about 15-20 minutes for the small ones, rotating the biscuits halfway through for even baking. Let cool at least 20 minutes.
The biscuits are best when freshly baked, but extras can be stored airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. Re-toast before eating.
Prepare the nectarines:
Slice the nectarines in half and remove their pits. Slice each half in half again, then cut each quarter crosswise into 1/4" thick slices. Place the nectarines in a medium bowl and toss with the sugar and lemon juice. Use a pair of scissors to snip the verbena leaves into thin threads into the nectarines; toss to combine. Taste, adding more lemon or sugar if you feel the need either. Let the nectarines sit for at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes to draw their juices into a sauce, and extract the flavor of the lemon verbena.
Make the chantilly:
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the heavy cream, yogurt and honey. Whip with a balloon whisk or the whip attachment until soft peaks form. (If you over-whip and the mixture becomes grainy, fold in a tablespoon or two of heavy cream until it smooths out again.) Store the mixture airtight in the refrigerator for up to 2 days if you like.
Assemble the shortcakes:
Slice the biscuits in half crosswise and place the bottom half of each on a plate. Spoon the nectarines and their juices over the biscuit, letting extra nectarines fall onto the plate. Top with a big scoop of the honey chantilly, and top with an off-set biscuit top. Serve immediately.
Notes
It's always nice to have options! Feel free to change up fruit here: add berries, peaches, plums or apricots. Use mint, basil or lemon balm in place of the lemon verbena. Cut the biscuits into triangles instead of rounds. Go crazy.I make both the biscuits and chantilly with a combination of Greek yogurt and heavy cream, but you can use all heavy cream for both if you prefer.Do keep everything as cool as possible when making the biscuits. If the dough becomes soft or sticky at any point, put it in the refrigerator for several minutes to chill the butter. When handling the dough, be gentle to avoid developing the glutens, which would make for tough biscuits.All ounce measurements here are by weight.Nutritional values are based on one of twelve servings.