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Strawberry Shortcakes

(recipe, Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart)

Introduction

The words strawberry shortcake evoke warm smiles and deep sighs. Everybody loves this truly American dessert. Our version was inspired by a James Beard recipe for cream biscuits. You'll have enough of these delicious biscuits for another shortcake dessert later in the week.

Ingredients

1. 2 cups (1 pint) fresh strawberries, hulled
2. 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Shortcakes

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 Tbsp. baking powder
3. ¼ tsp. salt
4. ¼ cup granulated sugar
5. 4 Tbsp. (½ stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
6. 1 large egg
7. ⅓ cup heavy (whipping) cream

Topping

1. 1 cup (½ pint) cold heavy (whipping) cream
2. 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Steps

1. Cut the berries in half, or in quarters if they are large. Place them in a medium bowl and toss with the sugar. (The berries are best if tossed with sugar at least 1 hour before serving to release some juices. They can be prepared several hours in advance, refrigerated, and then removed from refrigerator 1 hour before serving.)

To Make The Shortcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Work the butter into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture is the texture of coarse meal. In a small bowl, mix the egg with the cream. Pour this into the flour mixture, blending with a table fork until the mixture is moistened and the liquid absorbed. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead a few times, just enough to hold the dough together. If the dough is too crumbly to hold together, add drops of water a few at a time until the dough will hold together. Pat the dough into a circle ½ to ¾ inch thick. Using a 2½-inch biscuit cutter or the top of a drinking glass, cut out biscuits. Place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until nicely browned, 12 to 14 minutes.

To Make The Topping

1. Combine the cream and sugar in a deep bowl. Beat with chilled beaters until soft peaks form. To serve, split 4 warm biscuits in half. Divide the strawberries among the bottom halves and place the tops on. Top each shortcake with a generous dollop of whipped cream and serve immediately before they get soggy. Cool, wrap, and freeze the leftover biscuits.

Note

Rewarm frozen biscuits in a preheated 300°F oven for 15 minutes. You can make mixed-berry shortcakes by mixing 2 cups of any combination of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and so on. Toss them with 1 tablespoon sugar, or to taste, and proceed to assemble the shortcakes as above. These biscuits are also wonderful with jam or honey for breakfast.