With summertime temperatures teasing us in April, we were ready to fire up the grill for some burgers on a Saturday evening. I wanted to whip up a simple side dish and dessert to go with those burgers. Having especially enjoyed Julia Turshen’s most recent cookbook, Simply Julia, I was prompted to borrow one of her previous cookbooks –Now & Again.
If you’re looking for easy recipes using minimal ingredients, you won’t be disappointed with Turshen’s cookbooks. She has two perfect suggestions in her chapter featuring summer recipe selections: Grandma’s Cucumber Salad and Whole Wheat Berry Shortcakes. These two recipes were perfect for an impromptu dinner on the deck.
Grandma’s Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon canola or other neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound cucumbers (about 2 regular), ends trimmed, peeled
- 1 small white onion, cut into thin half-moons
Directions:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the canola oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt until the sugar and salt dissolve
- Run the tines of a fork lengthwise down the sides of the cucumbers and then thinly slice them crosswise. Add the cucumbers and onion to the bowl with the vinegar mixture and mix well. Season to taste if needed.
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before serving. Season again if needed.
Grandma’s Cucumber Salad can be prepared up to 24 hours before serving, perfect for upcoming cookouts this summer!
Whole Wheat Berry Shortcakes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar or coconut sugar, plus a little more for topping biscuits
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a tiny pinch
- 2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups mixed berries, cut into small pieces if large
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Scatter the butter over the flour mixture and use your hands to work in the butter, rubbing it between your fingers, until the mixture is the consistency of coarse crumbs. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir all but 1 tablespoon of the buttermilk into the flour mixture and mix just until combined — no need to mix too thoroughly here.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and pat it out into a rough 5-inch square about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough into four equal pieces and transfer them to the prepared sheet pan. Be sure to leave some space around each piece. Brush the tops of the biscuits lightly with the remaining 1 tablespoon buttermilk. If you like, sprinkle each biscuit with a little sugar.
- Bake the biscuits until they have risen and are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- While the biscuits are baking, put the berries into a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the remaining sugar and the remaining pinch of salt. Use a fork (or your hands) to crush about one-third of the berries, then give the mixture a good stir. It should be slightly saucy.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the cream, vanilla, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes (or use a bowl and a whisk and some solid effort).
- Slice each warm biscuit in half horizontally and place the bottom halves, cut-sides up, on individual plates. Divide the cream and berries evenly among the bottom halves. Top with the biscuit tops and serve immediately while still warm.
Turshen also offers ideas for leftovers, such as turning leftover scrambled eggs into an egg salad, leftover rice into rice fritters, and leftover sweet potatoes into breakfast potatoes. Now & Again is available upon request from Whitehall Public Library by calling 412-882-6622, or in our catalog, here. It’s also available as an eBook, here.