I’ve calculated that my family of five eats approximately TWENTY POUNDS of strawberry shortcake when our local strawberries are in season – for a short time in June. Here’s my Ultimate Strawberry Shortcake recipe.
by Karen Root from GoingZeroish.com
I am a strawberry shortcake snob – I admit it. First of all, I am in the biscuit camp. Don’t even talk to me about angel food cake or some other cake-y abomination. I was born in the south, after all. Second, said biscuit must, in a final preparatory flourish, be doused with whole milk. Third, this must be poured over Haagen Dazs vanilla (not vanilla bean) ice cream to produce a glisten of icy milky-ness. Finally, and most important by far, you must use local strawberries; no other berries are worth these calories!
Ultimate Strawberry Shortcake
Makes 6 Biscuits | Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse together to combine:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I like King Arthur unbleached)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if you use salted butter)
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
After bragging about my fabulous Strawberry Shortcake, I once made these for my friend, Madonna. Unfortunately, I accidentally used baking soda, not baking powder. They were absolutely inedible! I had to remake the whole recipe to redeem my honor.
METHOD:
Add and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs:
- 6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces (salted butter is totally fine too, just don’t add the 1/4 teaspoon of salt)
Add and pulse until the mixture just forms a ball:
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
Dump out the dough on a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with flour and press into a rectangle about 1 inch thick (I do this by covering the dough with another piece of parchment paper). This may require a little more flour on top.
- Cut into 6 biscuits and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Brush with a little extra heavy cream so they brown and make you look like a domestic goddess.
- Bake for 17 minutes, checking after 13. They should be cooked through and golden brown on top.
Time To Assemble
When the biscuits are done and ever-so-slightly cooled, assemble the dessert with the toppings.
Toppings
- Strawberries – Cut strawberries into halves or quarters depending on their size. Stir in 2 Tablespoons of sugar and set aside to macerate.
- Ice cream – take the ice cream out of the freezer to soften a bit
- Make Whipped cream – I whip heavy about a cup of heavy whipping cream with a tiiiiny squirt of honey and a teaspoon of vanilla. I whip until quite stiff because I like the buttery texture in this dessert, but, as you wish.
- Milk – get the nicest organic whole milk to pour – this is crucial! Trust me! I will warn you, it isn’t very pretty, but this is the key to my Strawberry Shortcake.
