Dine and Dish

Food blog with family recipes

Food Blogging Boom

Wow – there are a lot of you out there! Food bloggers, that is. This fall Dine & Dish will be two years old. It is amazing to me to see how much this online community of bloggers has changed over the past two years. I bet for those of you who have been doing this a lot longer than I, that change is even more phenomenal to watch.

I feel like I used to have a good finger on the pulse of who all was blogging. I felt like I knew a lot of you through your blogs and was fairly involved in the community. Things changed, I got swamped with life and had to step back on my involvement for a bit. Now, when I go food blog hopping, I am amazed to find a number of food bloggers who have been doing this for awhile who I am not even aware of! Blink your eyes around these parts and things change like the wind.

Food Blogging events are creeping up everywhere. New ones, old ones… they are still going strong and involvement is more triumphant than ever. It is such a neat thing to watch.

Because of this continuing upswing trend in food blogging, I have decided to bring back, by popular request, the Adopt a Blogger event. I’m going to change things around some… some new rules which equals some new fun! I’ll be posting about this next week, so keep your eyes on Dine & Dish to get involved.

As a part of my goal to get re-immersed into the food blogging community, I am also submitting these delicious shortcakes as an entry to one of my favorite food blogging events. Sugar High Friday… an oldie but goodie! With the theme as “berries”, how could I resist? Head on over to Susan of Food Blogga’s blog to check out the other delicious berry entries.

Strawberry Shortcakes with Brown Sugar Biscuits and White Chocolate Cream from  Bon Appétit | June 2006

Ingredients

White chocolate cream
2 ounces high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream, divided
3 tablespoons sugar

Biscuits
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, chilled
1 cup whipping cream, plus additional for brushing biscuits
2 tablespoons raw sugar*

Strawberries
4 cups halved hulled strawberries (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint or 2 teaspoons dried lavender blossoms**

For white chocolate cream:
Place white chocolate in medium bowl. Place 1 tablespoon water in very small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over; let stand until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes. Bring 1/2 cup cream and 3 tablespoons sugar to simmer in small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Pour gelatin mixture over white chocolate, whisking until melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature.

Beat remaining 2 cups cream in large bowl until peaks form. Fold 1/2 cup cream into white chocolate mixture to lighten. Fold chocolate mixture into remaining cream in bowl. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.

For biscuits:
Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend. Add butter. Using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Gradually add 1 cup cream, tossing until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; shape into 8 1/2-inch round on parchment or foil. Chill 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut dough into eight 3-inch rounds, gathering scraps and reshaping as needed. Place rounds on prepared sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool completely. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. If desired, rewarm in 350°F oven 5 minutes before using.)

For strawberries:
Combine strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, and mint or lavender in medium bowl; toss to blend. Let stand at room temperature until juices form, at least 10 minutes, or refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 hours.

Cut biscuits in half horizontally. Place 1 bottom on each of 8 plates and mound strawberries with syrup on each, dividing equally. Cover with white chocolate cream and biscuit tops.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Meeta says

    I know what you mean – everyday 100 new food bloggers and 200 more events LOL!! It’S hard keeping up.

    I loves these kind of desserts – fresh and crispy!

  4. Clumbsy Cookie says

    You are right! There are so many blog events and food blogs! It’s great to see so many people that share my food craziness! Your shortcakes are amazing for sure, you can never go wrong with strawberries and white chocolate!

    Clumbsy Cookies last blog post..Sweet Barcelona

  5. Alexa says

    I’m one the new food bloggers and I am amazed at how many talented, passionate people are out there. It’s a delight to get to know them and feel part of this food-lovers’ community. Your strawberry shortcakes look divine.

    Alexas last blog post..The Many Roles of Chermoula

  6. Deborah says

    I’m constantly amazed at the number of new blogs that pop up every day. But what amazes me more are the blogs who have been doing it for so long!

    Great entry to Sugar High Friday!

    Deborahs last blog post..Chocolate Malted Cupcakes

  7. Sandie says

    Glad to see you’re keeping up with the Adopt-a-Blogger event. From experience, I know it can be a very good & motivating experience for both the adopters and the adoptees. Here’s wishing everyone many successful pairings with this next round of adoptions!

    Lovely shortcake by the way. It looks divine!

    Sandies last blog post..A Good Year for Tablescapes

  8. grace says

    i appreciate all those helpful links, and i adore you for posting the recipe for this strawberry shortcake. it’s one of my favorite summer desserts, and i absolutely love that you’ve added a white chocolate cream. my face is drool-central. 🙂

    graces last blog post..give ’em a swirlie

  17. Lisa says

    I love the taste of brown sugar in shortcake. The white chocolate cream also sounds like a wonderful touch to a classic recipe. What’s more you have a way of making biscuits look so easy and delicious…I wonder if this might be a good way to use the blueberries in my kitchen for dinner tonight…

    Lisas last blog post..Blueberry Oat Muffins

  18. Laura says

    I love being pregnant, but I’d be MORE than willing to trade you just 1 month… Give myself a little break. You can even choose between my 6th, 7th, or 8th month. See how generous I am?

  19. LyB says

    That is such a beautiful entry Kristen. We just got tons of fresh blueberries and strawberries at our local market, they were just impossible to resist!

  20. Mable says

    When I first started food blogging, I had NO idea that it was such a huge community. It’s a great way to meet new people from all over the world. I’m inspired to start a food blogging event in Melbourne (if there isn’t one already). Love your blog! it’s gorgeous 😀

    Mables last blog post..Apple Pie

  22. My Sweet & Saucy says

    I can’t believe you have been blogging for almost 2 years…that is quite an accomplishment! I love the addition of the white chocolate to the whipped cream!

  23. Laura says

    I have just started my food blog this spring I’m a newbie! I have been become addicted..I photograph food at home and in restaurants so I can blog about it. I will be looking for the Adopt a Blogger post because I would be very interested!

    Lauras last blog post..Effie Ophelia Brunch

  24. paul says

    Every year since my first one blogging, I’ve looked in amazement at the growth of the food blog population.

    Long ago I realized my list (or anyone’s for that matter) could barely be representative of what’s out there, never mind be comprehensive.

    The adopt a blogger event is a good idea – sometimes us veterans need the enthusiasm of the newbies to get us going again!

    pauls last blog post..Random Food