The flavoring of this shortcake, very Italian in nature, was inspired by a recipe by Roberta Dowling of the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, where it was served with figs stewed in sweetened port and a mascarpone cream. This recipe is our adaptation back to a more standard shortcake recipe. We served it with fresh blueberries, and whipped cream, lightly sweetened, and flavored with a splash of Sambuca.
Toast, peel, and coursely chop the hazelnuts. Consider toasting some extras and leaving them whole for garnish. Let cool thoroughly. Grind the anise seed, or process it for a minute with the sugar in a food processor. Beat the egg (cold) with the milk and vanilla.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift; whisk in the anise and sugar.
Cut the butter into pieces, and work into the flour until it is in large pea sized pieces. Stir in the hazelnuts. Stir in the combined liquid ingredients, and mix just until somewhat evenly distributed. The dough may not have come completely together.
Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface (a chilled marble slab is good) and shape together in roughly a 4 inch square. Smear or roll it away from you into a long rectangle; fold in half, rotate it 90 degrees, and repeat three more. By now the dough should have come together and be shapable. Roll or smear it out into a rectangle slightly over 6 by 9 inches. Use a 3" biscuit cutter to cut six circles out, and place them on a buttered or parchment-covered baking sheet.
Pull the remaining dough together: slide it together without lifting it from the work surface, gently shape it into a rectangle and press down on it slightly, fold it in half, then roll or smear it out into roughly a 3" by 6" rectangle. Cut out two more cakes. Pull the remaining dough together and shape by hand into a small cake of about the same thickness as the others, for the Chef to sample to see whether the biscuits are done. Chill for at least 10 minutes. (You can prepare ahead up to here and pop them into the oven so as to serve them warm and fresh.)
Cook the shortcakes in a preheated 400° F oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool on the pan for several minutes, then remove to a rack.
The cakes should be fork-split, and used to sandwich all sorts of sweet and fruity and gooey things.
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