An All American favorite during the summer and relatively quick and easy too! For a red, white and blue 4th of July dessert, add blueberries to the mix.
Ingredients
Strawberries
4 pints strawberries, lightly rinsed, hulled and halved
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
6 shortcakes (recipe below), for serving
6 whole strawberries, for garnish
Shortcakes
2 cups unbleached white flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup of milk
Preparation
For the shortcakes
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a baking sheet.
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.
Add the butter. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, rub it into the dry ingredients until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Stir in the milk until a very soft dough is formed. Do not overwork.
Drop the dough in 6 equal portions onto the prepared baking sheet. Lightly pat the dough into rounds—3 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter.
Bake the shortcakes in the center of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
For the Strawberries
Place strawberries in a bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice and sugar, then gently toss with a rubber spatula.
Just before serving, whip cream with 1 Tbsp sugar until it holds soft peaks.
To serve, slice off the top third of each shortcake. Place the bottoms on 6 plates and top with 1/3 cup of the prepared berries and juice, plus a spoonful of whipped cream. Cover with the top. Spoon over more berries and juice, then dollop with whipped cream. Garnish each with a whole berry and drizzle with any remaining juice.
Thanks to Kristin Frost Albrecht for this recipe.