Healthy Cooking: When life gives you bruised berries, make shortcake

There is little I can do about the chaos in our world. The chaos in my refrigerator, however, is another story. With my Type A personality and too much free time, I organized my ice box until the last sticky jar of maraschino cherries was examined and found unexpired. Satisfying? Incredibly. Tinged with regret? Unfortunately. The exercise revealed a collection of strawberries in varying stages of decomposition. It’s never desirable to waste food, and now it feels downright shameful. I picked through each pint, separating the barely bruised from the fearfully fuzzy, yielding a bowl of berries that required immediate use.

If you, too, find yourself at the frantic end of the fruit timeline, may I suggest making a compote? It’s a fancy phrase for a cooked fruit syrup, and it’s just the thing to stretch the edibility of your produce by a few more days. Simply simmer your berries with a splash of vanilla and a spoonful of honey. The compote will keep in the refrigerator for three days, where it’s ready to be enjoyed over pancakes, yogurt and shortcake.

You can make a quick and easy shortcake from ingredients you keep on hand. To improve the nutrition, I suggest swapping half of the usual white flour with protein- and fiber-rich whole-wheat flour. Yes, the whole-wheat flour makes the shortcake denser, and yes, the easiest leavener, yeast, is currently in short supply. To balance the heft of whole wheat, I add an egg, baking powder and buttermilk. You forgot to lay in a supply of buttermilk? Me too. Instead, I sour regular milk with fresh lemon juice. (Vinegar works, too.) Gently combine the wet and dry ingredients, and press the dough into a cast-iron skillet or baking dish. Twenty minutes later, you have a delicious dessert that is nutritious to boot.