Strawberry Shortcake
Nothing says summer to me more than homemade Strawberry Shortcakes. It’s good when a simple dessert can make you feel 5 years old again; every bite brings me back to sitting on the back porch at my grandmother’s house overlooking the tall grasses at the foot of the mountain behind us. She always served it with a big glass of minted iced tea-lemonade, which I highly recommend. I added blueberries to mine this month, which was delightful.
You can certainly skip the step of making your own baking blend, and just use Bisquick instead, which is what my grandmother used. In fact, you can skip whipping your own cream too and go straight for the spray stuff in the can, if that’s what suits your fancy.
In a bowl, combine:
4 cups sliced strawberries or a mix of berries
3 Tb sugar
Toss well and let sit while you make the shortcakes.
For the shortcakes:
Blend together in a food processor or using a pastry blender, two forks, or your hands, until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs:
2 ½ cups flour
1 ½ Tb baking powder
½ tsp salt
7 Tb cold cubed butter
Next, mix your dry mix with
½ cup milk
3 Tb sugar
3 Tb melted butter
On a cookie sheet, form the dough into four slightly flattened shortbreads. Bake in a 350F degree oven for 12-15 minutes, until gently golden. Allow to cool.
While your shortcakes are cooling, using a hand mixer or a whisk, whip together:
1 pint heavy whipping cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
Small pinch salt
2 Tb sugar
Cut your shortcakes in half horizontally and layer everything: Shortcake, whipped cream, berries, shortcake, whipped cream, berries. Enjoy!
