Strawberry Shortcake

Note from Marie: Strawberry Shortcake was a dish that my mom often made for us when we were kids. It was my favorite dessert, especially in the summer time. Recently, walking a very fine line, I made up my own strawberry shortcake recipe, which emphasizes the best parts of the desserts, at least in my opinion. First, the cake is essential. The cake my mom used to make was not sweet all all -- it was more like a buttermilk biscuit, a little sour but very tasty. In my recipe, my goal was to make the cake sweeter and softer, sort of like a light scone. My second goal was to maintain the integrity of the lush, fresh strawberries. To do this, instead of cooking the strawberries like my mom used to do, I merely marinated them in sugar for about 30 minutes. The sugar softens the berries and brings out the juices, leaving you with the perfect filling for the rich buttery cakes and a special sweet sauce to pour over everything. We were all very pleased with the result. Add a spoonful of lightly sweetened whipped cream for an extra indulgence. Even my mom, who doesn't like "really sweet" sweets, loved this version of our old tradition. I hope you enjoy it too.

Serves 8.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup + 8-10 tablespoons white granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter (cold)

1 large egg

1/3 + 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (plus more for topping)

4 cups (32 ounces) fresh strawberries, washed and sliced

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a food processor, mix flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter into tablespoon-sized slices, and add to food processor.

Pulse food processor until butter and flour-mixture look like cornmeal. Do no over mix.

In separate small bowl, whisk 1/3 cup whipping cream and egg. Pour cream and egg into food processor bowl with butter/flour-mixture. Pulse food processor just until dough holds together. Add whipping cream, one tablespoon at a time, until dough is soft and slightly sticky.

Using a spoon and your hands as needed, form a small biscuit about 3 inches in diameter and 3/4 inches thick. Place biscuit on the lined baking sheet. Form remaining 7 biscuits and place on parchment paper, about 1 inch apart. Brush cream across the top of each biscuit. Sprinkle sugar on top.

Bake biscuits for 12-15 minutes.

While biscuits are baking, wash, hull, and slice strawberries into a large bowl. Toss sliced strawberries with 4 tablespoons sugar. Cover with plastic wrap.

Whip extra cream for topping. (Add 1-2 tablespoons sugar if desired.)

Remove biscuits from oven. Let cool for 10 minutes. Slice horizontally. Spoon strawberries and juice over the bottom half of the biscuit. Rest the top half of the biscuit against the strawberries. Add a dollup of whipped cream. Enjoy!