Raspberry Peach Shortcakes

For the Biscuits

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. Grate butter into the bowl (or cut into small cubes) and freeze for 5 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, mix buttermilk and egg together.
5. Remove the bowl from the freezer, and cut the butter into the flour mixture until you have coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk and egg, and stir together into a dough. Do not over mix, and you may decide to ditch the spoon and just use your hands.
6. Pour the dough out onto a well floured surface, and pat it out to about 1 inch thick. Fold it into thirds (like a letter) and pat it out to 1 inch thick again. This will help your biscuits rise up to be nice and flakey.
7. Cut the biscuits out with a 2 inch round cutter place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the top generously with sparkling sugar.
8. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
9. Allow to cool.

For the Fruit Filling

1. Add sugar to the sliced peaches and let them sit while you make your biscuits. They will become soft and juicy. Or you can just omit the sugar for a less juicy filling.

For the Cream

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer (I use a chilled metal bowl) combine heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract and whip on low speed for 1-2 minutes. Then increase the speed and whip until soft peaks form.
2. Slice each biscuit in half and arrange a layer of peaches. Spoon the whipped cream into a plastic bag with one corner cut and pipe the cream on top of the peaches. Add raspberries, and then another layer of whipped cream. Top with the biscuit, and decorate with a bit of whipped cream and a single raspberry.