Tomato Scallion Shortcakes with Whipped Goat Cheese
Scallion biscuits:
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (265 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- 5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup (235 ml) whole milk
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of sugar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ pound (approximately 1⅓ cups or 225 grams) cherry or grape tomatoes (mixed colors, if you can find them)
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) heavy or whipping cream
- 4 ounces (115 grams) goat cheese, softened
- Greens from 2 scallions, thinly sliced
Instructions:
Tomatoes are every bit as much of a fruit as strawberries, and they make a fine, fine pairing with a biscuit, accented with mild green onions.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large, wide bowl. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the scallion. Add the whole milk, and stir until evenly moistened. Pat out to ¾-to-1-inch thickness, and cut into six to eight 3-inch rounds, re-forming scraps as needed. Arrange the biscuits on the parchment-lined sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until they are golden brown on top, for about 15 minutes. Rotate the pan to ensure even baking.
- In the bottom of a bowl, whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, sugar, and freshly ground black pepper. Quarter the cherry tomatoes lengthwise, and add them to bowl with the dressing, tossing together gently.
- In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer (or whisk by hand, if you like the workout) to whip the cream until peaks form. Add the goat cheese, and beat until the cheese topping is light and fluffy.
- Split each warm biscuit in half, and generously spoon each half with the tomato salad and its dressing. Dollop with whipped goat cheese, and sprinkle with scallion-green slivers. Eat at once.