Strawberry Shortcakes

Obsessing about dessert is a full time occupation. I dream in technicolor, the hankering  to be assuaged by some ethereal concoction. Most often it is a pipe dream. But sometimes, dreams materialize into sweet satisfaction. The excuse is making dessert for friends were are meeting after months of isolation!

I bake buttermilk biscuits. Ripe strawberries are cored and quartered. Cream and sugar are whipped.  Game, set, match! 

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES

Makes 20 

Shortcakes

2 cups all purpose Flour

4 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 teaspoon Sugar

2 tablespoons cold Butter

2 tablespoons cold Crisco or any Vegetable Shortening (use more Butter if you haven't any Crisco)

3/4 cup full fat Buttermilk 

Melted Butter

2 cups cored and quartered Strawberries

1/2 cup Cream

2 teaspoons Sugar

Icing Sugar

Place flour, baking powder and soda, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to mix. 

Cut butter and Crisco into 1 inch cubes. Add to flour and pulse 10-15 times till mix resembles small peas.

Pour buttermilk in while pulsing the flour. 

Once dough comes together, scrape it onto a floured surface.

Heat oven to 425F/220C.

Pat or roll the dough into a circle that is 1/2 inch thick. 

Use a 2 inch round biscuit cutter and punch shortcakes. 

Place them on a a baking sheet. 

Gather up remaining dough, roll out again and cut out more cakes. You should get about 20 pieces. 

Place biscuits close to each other on the baking sheet. 

Bake for 15 minutes till the tops are light brown. 

Whip cream and sugar till stiff. Keep in the fridge till you are ready to assemble the shortcakes.

Take them out of the oven and brush tops with melted butter.

Assemble the cakes by cutting the biscuits in half horizontally. 

Mound strawberries on the bottom half of biscuit. 

Spoon a blob of whipped cream over the berries. 

Top with other half. 

Dust shortcakes with icing sugar. 

Hold them in your hand and take a big rewarding bite.

Summer and strawberries. Strawberries and biscuits. With a spoonful of cream. Dreams do come true...

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