That Raspberry Dessert

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of something I was baking on Instagram and promised Molly that I would post the recipe. I did mention that it is my favorite dessert. And it is. My mom used to make this in the summer, once or maybe twice each year. Her mom, my grandmother, also made this with just-picked raspberries when we would visit their farm. It's a sentimental dessert for me - truly the taste of my childhood summers. It is one first recipes I asked my mom for when Fatty and I were first dating. It has three main ingredients: fruit, sugar and Bisquick.  Nothing high brow about that at all. Just delicious. It is especially good because you are essentially cooking the pastry and fruit in a simple syrup that cooks down to make the most delicious sauce. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream. The leftovers make an excellent breakfast with a cup of coffee. Here's how you do it.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Make the shortcake recipe as follows:

3 1/2 c Bisquick plus approximately 1/2 c more for rolling (You can use original or the reduced fat one. I've never tried it with a bisquick-like mix made from scratch, but I bet it would work.)

1/4 c sugar

3/4 c milk

4 tbsp. melted butter

Mix all ingredients together until the dough forms. If the dough is sticky, add more Bisquick until you can roll it out. Dust the rolling surface with Bisquick and roll it into a rectangle about 8" x 12" that is 1/2" thick. The thickness is the key part - your rectangle may end up slightly larger. That's OK.

Add:

3 - 6 oz. containers of raspberries

Place raspberries in a single layer on top of the dough. Roll the dough and raspberries together into a log. Cut the log into 1" slices.

Make the syrup:

Pour 1 1/2 c sugar in a 9" x 13" glass baking pan.

Add 2 c boiling water and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Place the slices of fruit and pastry so they float in the syrup. Pack them in the pan, leaving little room between slices. If you have extra berries, go ahead and plop those in as well.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden brown.