Rhubarb Shortcakes

My first rhubarb recipe of the season. And look at that color! This rhubarb is dark red for a good reason...it's roasted in red wine. Of course, the deeper red your fresh rhubarb is, the darker the color in any recipe, but here, it's even more so. The shortcake recipe is excellent too...tender and better than my grandmothers!  A pretty dessert for company and you can make it all ahead and assemble it at the last minute. 

Rhubarb Shortcakes
From  Bon Appétit, April 2013, by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer 

Ingredients for roasted rhubarb:

2 pounds rhubarb, trimmed, sliced 1-inch thick 

1 cup sugar 

1/2 cup red wine 

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 

Ingredients for biscuits:

1 cup cake flour 

4 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon sugar 

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 

1 cup all-purpose flour plus more for work surface

Ingredients for assembly:

3 cups chilled heavy cream, divided 

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted 

Method:

Preparation for Roasted Rhubarb: 

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine rhubarb, sugar, and wine in a medium baking dish or ovenproof skillet. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean and toss to combine. 

Roast until rhubarb is very tender and juices are syrupy, 30-40 minutes, depending on thickness of stalks. Let cool. Discard vanilla bean. 

Biscuits and Assembly 

Preheat oven to 375°. Whisk cake flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and 1 cup all-purpose flour in a medium bowl to combine. Add 1 1/2 cups cream; gently mix just until dough holds together. 

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and form into a 9x6-inch rectangle about 1-inch thick. Cut dough in half length-wise, then cut crosswise 3 times to form 8 rectangular biscuits. 

Arrange biscuits on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Brush tops and sides of biscuits with butter. Bake until golden brown, 18-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool (biscuits can be served warm or at room temperature). 

Assembly:

Beat remaining 1 1/2 cups cream in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Split biscuits and brush cut sides with remaining melted butter. Fill biscuits with roasted rhubarb and serve with whipped cream. 

DO AHEAD: Rhubarb filling can be made 5 days ahead. Let cool, then cover and chill. Reheat slightly before serving. Biscuits can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool completely and store airtight at room temperature.