Your ma probably doesn't make shortcake the way Jeremy Lee's mum does. The American version of strawberry shortcake -- a symbol of summertime eating -- involves a biscuitlike cake sandwich filled with fresh strawberries that have been tossed with sugar, all topped off with a plop of sinful whipped cream. But Jeremy Lee's mum's version is in another world -- Scotland, to be precise. Lee, a professional chef in London, recalls memories of the raspberry shortcakes of his youth in Dundee along the eastern coast of that country. Saveur magazine brings the beloved dessert to life on the cover of its July 2006 issue. Mum's features raspberries and whipped cream sandwiched between two thin shortbread cookies, with a touch of orange zest, almonds and toasted bread crumbs, instead of flour. "The light, delicate fragility of this shortcake sets it apart from the dense and more traditional shortbread that figures large in Scottish cookery," Lee writes. "It makes a mockery of the idea that Scottish cookery is heavy and stodgy." Lee's article celebrates his mum's special touch with fresh berries, including a strawberry and hazelnut meringue cake, berry jelly and raspberry brulee. Her simple raspberry trifle recipe -- reproduced by her son for photographing -- makes a spectacular dinner presentation. Saveur also takes readers to the exotic Banda archipelago, a part of Indonesia spared by the recent tsunami disaster. Readers meet home cooks who live in the Spice Islands, where nutmeg grows on trees among the mango groves, where palm sugar and tamarind add intriguing flavors, and where kecap manis, a sweet soy sauce, is like nothing you ever have tasted. There's a trip to northeast Alabama, where the Tennessee River dips into the state and gospel singers gather each year to sing Sacred Harp, a form of shape-note singing that's performed a capella. Part of the two-day annual convention are potluck feasts at noon, during which revelers indulge in barbecued pulled pork, fresh baked rolls and seven different flavors of freshly churned ice cream. Along the way, there are side visits to India, Slovenia and Switzerland; the last features "the greatest chef you've never heard of," Philippe Rochat, of Rochat restaurant, tucked into old Hotel de Ville in Crissier, the former kitchen of the great chef Fredy Giradet. Consider these delights, with recipes: Roasted Sweetbreads on a Skewer with Piquillo Pepper Sauce, a morel tart with baby fava beans, and a dessert called Strawberry "Rose," where slices of strawberries are arranged into "petals" atop blancmange (custard), adorned with a fresh strawberry syrup. Other features include "the perfect recipe" for mango sherbet, and a history of Stony Hill winery, founded in the mid-1950s and still going strong. Raspberry Shortcakes
12 tablespoons (3 sticks) butter, softened
2/3 cup superfine sugar, divided
Finely grated zest of 1 small orange (about 1 teaspoon)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole unblanched almonds, ground
2/3 cup toasted white bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 cups fresh raspberries
Put the butter and 1/3 cup of the sugar into a large bowl and beat, using an electric mixer, until pale and well combined, for about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the orange zest and beat again until just combined, for about 15 seconds. Add the flour, almonds and bread crumbs and beat again until a soft dough forms, for about 1 minute. Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap and roll up, twisting both ends tightly as if it were a piece of candy, to form a 3-inch-wide log. Refrigerate the dough for 8 hours or overnight. Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Unroll the dough, discarding the plastic wrap, and cut the log crosswise into 16 slices (1/4-inch thick). Arrange the slices on baking sheets in a single layer, leaving them spaced at least 1 inch apart. Bake until golden and slightly puffed, for about 20 minutes. Transfer the shortcakes to a wire rack and let cool. In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream to soft peaks. Put a small dollop of whipped cream in the middle of a small plate to hold the shortcake in place. Top with a shortcake. Dollop a large spoonful of whipped cream on the shortcake and heap with 1/2 cup raspberries and another spoonful of whipped cream. Sprinkle with some of the remaining sugar and put another shortcake on top. Repeat the process with the remaining shortcakes, whipped cream, raspberries and sugar. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.
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