Saturday and Shortcakes

When I saw this recipe in August's issue of Martha Stewart Living, I thought it was one that I would have to try. Some of you may remember that Martha and I have a rather contentious relationship. As I thumb through the pages of the magazine, gazing at the beautifully styled food, and wondering just how one person is supposed to do it all, there is a voice inside my head, forcing me to remember that Martha's food, though beautiful to look at, never really works out for me. I think it's a case of a finicky recipe. But Saturday morning, a day sticky with summer rain here in New York, I decided to give it one more go, and tried these Nectarine Shortcakes.

And I'm glad that I did. I had purchased some less-than-ripe, nectarines at the market the day before, with the intention of letting them set and ripen on the windowsill. But come Saturday morning, I had the itch to do some baking, and so I made the decision to put those hard stone fruits to good use. When the nectarines were cut into chunks, macerated in lemon juice, and finally baked in the shortcake, they softened, to the perfect texture: chewy yet soft, with some body left to them.

Reading through the list of ingredients, I realized that the recipe called for very little sugar, and quite a healthy dose of butter. In fact, the recipe appeared to be a scone recipe more than a shortcake one. So I made the shortcakes as a decadent, fruity, morning treat. And they were perfect as that-- moist, with a tender, soft crumb, buttery, yet light, and gently flavored with taste of fresh nectarines.

I don't know if I would serve these baked treats plain for dessert, as they were shown in the magazine; but I would definitely make them again for a special breakfast treat. And I guess I'll have to thank Martha (or at the very least, her recipe developer) for the recipe.