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Honey shortcakes with honey-pine nut gelato

Time1 hour
YieldsServes 8
Honey shortcakes with honey-pine nut gelato
(Los Angeles Times)
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Days spent lolling around the blooming fields of lavender and wild sage and hanging out in the fragrant orange orchards. A pause on the way home to lick sweet nectar from honeysuckle blossoms. A session in the home office, transforming the day’s take into glistening, flower-scented syrup. It’s a good time of year to be a honeybee.

And it’s an even better time for tasting the honeyed creations of Los Angeles-area pastry chefs. Acacia honey sweetens a shimmering panna cotta with blood oranges at Lucques in West Hollywood. Lavender honey flavors the pillowy bavarois (Bavarian cream) spooned over pistachio cream cake at nearby Sona. Wildflower honey captures the countryside spirit of a goat cheese and apple tart at Santa Monica’s Rustic Canyon, and orange blossom or wildflower honey brings a homey note to honey-glazed strawberry shortcakes with honey and pine nut gelato at Century City’s Craft.

“Honey has a complexity and depth of flavor you don’t get with sugar,” says Breanne Varela, pastry chef at Lucques and AOC restaurants in West Hollywood. “Sugar lets you show off another ingredient, maybe chocolate or fruit, but when you use honey as a sweetener, it’s the honey you’re showing off.”

To highlight honey’s complex flavor in a show-stopping dessert, first you must choose from among the hundreds of varieties available. Unlike typical “pure” honeys (cultivated mild honeys blended for their nondescript flavor) available at most supermarkets, “free-range” honeys, as it were, have distinct personalities, each reflecting the flower nectars and the bees’ geographic territory.

“Orange blossom honey from one farm is going to taste different from another farm’s orange blossom,” explains Sona pastry chef Ramon Perez.

That range of flavor is what makes honey so alluring to pastry chefs. Lighter honeys such as acacia and star thistle have a more subtle honeysuckle-like flavor that shines in simple, creamy desserts that won’t overpower its delicate flavor (think ice cream, panna cotta, creme brulee). Molasses-colored avocado and buckwheat honeys lend a buttery sweetness when drizzled over pungent cheeses such as Gorgonzola or when baked into earthy dried fruit-nut breads and cookies. Perez’s favorite, orange blossom (a generic name for any citrus blossom honey), ranges in color from light to golden amber, with a mild or piquant citrus perfume. It all depends on the wanderlust of the honeybees.

At Rustic Canyon, pastry chef Zoe Nathan prefers wildflower honey (honey made from any combination of wildflowers), such as wild sage blossom, in her honey goat cheese tart with Pink Lady apples. Baked into pastries it lends depth and a golden hue; drizzled on top it adds a lilting floral perfume.

“I like to cook with honey first, then drizzle a little more on before serving so you get a double hit -- a subtle sweetness and caramelization from baking and a raw, fresh flavor when you drizzle it on top,” Nathan says.

To give the honey goat cheese filling a silky texture, she uses creamy wildflower honey. Creamy honey, also known as whipped honey, is natural honey that has been prematurely crystallized (most honeys naturally crystallize with age or temperature changes) to create tiny interlocking crystals and a dense, whipped cream-like texture.

To make the tart, roll the crust and drape it into a pie pan, leaving the edges untrimmed. Mound the filling, a luxurious combination of crumbled goat cheese, tangy Pink Lady apples sauteed in brown butter, and dollops of creamy wildflower honey, in the center and fold the edges of the dough inward. You’ll need to freeze the entire tart before baking (the biscuit-like dough is rich with butter, so freezing helps maintain its shape) and bake until the honey begins to caramelize along the edges of the golden brown crust. Resist the urge to dive into the tart before it’s completely cool -- the juicy filling needs time to fully set up -- but get your wooden honey dipper ready to plunge into the honey pot for one last drizzle of wildflowers on top.

Wildflower honeys have a wonderfully vibrant perfume, but some desserts are better suited to lighter honeys. One light honey in particular is prized for its fluid, viscous quality as much as its ethereal, honeysuckle flavor.

“Acacia honey has a milder flavor than most honeys and isn’t quite as sweet, so it lends a more subtle flavor, more a hint of honey,” says Craft pastry chef Catherine Schimenti.

And its consistency is almost liquid, so it’s easy to stir into creamy desserts or brush on top of baked goods. Schimenti brushes her honey shortcakes with acacia honey not once but twice, first before baking to give the tender cakes a golden glaze (honey caramelizes more quickly than sugar), and then after for a dewy fresh flavor.

To serve the shortcakes, tuck sliced strawberries between the tender honey biscuit halves and top with a dollop of sweetened creme fraiche. You could stop here, but add a scoop of toasted pine nut-wildflower honey gelato and the dessert becomes a scrumptious study of honey’s versatility. The shortcake, lightly kissed with acacia honey, suggests a glimmer of its delicate floral roots; the nutty gelato is bursting with fresh-picked wildflowers.

At Lucques, pastry chef Varela takes a more restrained approach, stirring the acacia honey into a mixture of heavy cream, creme fraiche and a touch of gelatin. You can make the panna cotta up to a few days before you plan to serve (it takes less time to prepare than it does to wash the honey from sticky measuring cups), and chill until ready to serve. Turn the shimmering custard onto a plate, fan a few blood orange sections beside it for a crimson-colored tang, and drizzle with acacia honey.

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Honey pine nut gelato

1

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast them until golden brown and fragrant, about 8 minutes, stirring once or twice. Cool slightly, then puree in a blender or food processor until the mixture resembles very chunky peanut butter. Set aside.

2

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or in a medium bowl using a hand-held mixer, beat the egg yolks and honey together until pale yellow and satiny, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

3

In a large saucepan, mix the milk and cream together over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until hot (be careful not to boil). Slowly pour one-half cup of the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk in an additional one-half cup of the milk mixture to fully temper the yolks. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

4

Pour the mixture into a medium bowl set over an ice bath, then stir in the pine nut butter. Allow the mixture to chill completely, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Strain through a mesh strainer, pushing down on the solids (you will still have about one-fourth cup of pine nut puree left in the strainer). Discard the solids.

5

Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Spread the gelato evenly into a container with a lid; cover the surface with plastic wrap and then cover with the lid. Freeze it until completely set, at least 5 hours, preferably overnight. (Makes 1 quart.)

Shortcakes and assembly

1

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or in a medium bowl using a hand-held mixer, whip the cream and 1 tablespoon of the sugar to medium peaks.

2

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Switch to the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer and slowly add the dry ingredients to the cream until just combined (do not overwork or the dough will be tough). This also can be done by hand: Use a spatula to fold the sifted dry ingredients, little by little, into the whipped cream until just combined.

3

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and form into a log about 12 inches long. Using a sharp knife or pastry cutter, cut the log into eight equal pieces. Shape each shortcake into a round 2 inches tall and 2 inches in diameter, and place onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. In a small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the honey over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until warm. Brush the tops of each of the shortcakes with the warm honey, and lightly sprinkle with one-fourth teaspoon of the sugar. Bake for 16 minutes, rotating the sheet pan halfway through baking, until the shortcakes are set and a rich golden on top. Remove and allow to cool 2 minutes, then brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons honey. Set aside.

4

Quarter the strawberries lengthwise and place in a medium bowl (if they are large, cut each quarter in half crosswise; the pieces should be no larger than one-half inch). Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar, depending on how sweet they are. Toss to mix well and set aside for at least 1 hour to let the berries soften and release their juices.

5

In a stand mixer or in a medium bowl with a whisk or hand mixer, whip the creme fraiche with the remaining tablespoon sugar until light and fluffy.

6

To serve, slice the shortcakes horizontally in half, and place each bottom half on a plate. Divide the strawberries evenly over the shortcakes, then spoon the creme fraiche evenly over the strawberries. Place the top half of each shortcake on top, cocked to one side to reveal the filling. Place a scoop of honey pine nut gelato alongside each shortcake, and serve immediately.

Adapted from a recipe by Craft pastry chef Catherine Schimenti. This recipe makes 1 quart gelato, more than is needed for the recipe; the extra gelato will keep for 1 week in the freezer. Acacia honey for the shortcakes is available at some specialty grocery stores.