Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Raspberry Shortcake Gems

One of the ultimate summer desserts that uses the freshest and finest of the season, Raspberry Shortcake Gems will more than satisfy your desire for something sweet without going too overboard. Though this recipe is made with raspberries, if they are not available you can feel free to substitute strawberries, blackberries or even blueberries. The choice is yours as long as you find the freshest fruit available. As a garnish for these little gems I have added a raspberry sauce called coulis (cool-ee), which is nothing more than a fancy French name for the lightly sweetened, cooked and pureed fruit. It is the perfect compliment to this delicious gem of a dessert. I hope you enjoy.

Raspberry Shortcake Gems

Ingredients:

Shortcake:
3/4 cup almond flour
2/3 cup coconut flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Splenda
3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. heavy cream
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
butter spray or vegetable spray

Raspberry Coulis:
1 cup raspberries
1 Tbsp. Splenda
1/3 cup water

Whipped Cream:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp. Splenda

Garnish:
24 raspberries

Preheat oven to 375'

Blend the almond and coconut flours with the baking powder, salt and Splenda with a whisk until thoroughly combined. Stir in the cream. Cut the butter in with a fork or your fingers until it is evenly distributed in the mixture. You will still see small bits of the butter but not large chunks. Make sure the butter is very cold to start. Divide evenly into a 24 count mini muffin pan, about 1 teaspoon of mixture in each, that has been liberally coated with butter spray. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 15 minutes and then carefully remove to rack to finish cooling. These are delicate cakes and need to be handled carefully.

To prepare the coulis mix the raspberries, Splenda and water in a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes.  Carefully pour into a blender with the small plastic insert removed and the hole covered with a clean towel and pulse until mixture is pureed. To remove seeds strain mixture through a fine sieve into a small container and chill.

To prepare the whipped cream beat the heavy cream with the Splenda until soft peaks form. This can be done by hand or with an electric mixer. Your mixer and bowl must be very clean and you can chill your beaters and bowl to make whipping easier. Refrigerate whipped cream until ready for use. If desired a whipped cream substitute may be used.

To assemble Raspberry Shortcake Gems carefully slice a shortcake in half and place about 1/2 teaspoon of whipped cream on the bottom half. Cover with the lid and dab with an additional 1/2 teaspoon of whipped cream. Garnish top with a whole raspberry and drizzle with raspberry coulis.

Nutrition Facts
24 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 90.3
Total Fat 7.9 g
Saturated Fat 4.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.7 g
Cholesterol 19.6 mg
Sodium 69.1 mg
Potassium 19.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate 4.9 g
Dietary Fiber 2.2 g
Sugars 0.1 g
Protein 1.5 g

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