Whenever I see anything that involves strawberries, I immediately think of my big (but in reality, small) sister.
My sister loves Strawberries. It first started with the famous Strawberry Shortcake doll. I loved that doll,… even though it was hers. The best part about Strawberry Shortcake was that you could squeeze it’s stomach and it would blow strawberry smelling kisses. I used to squeeze that babies tummy nonstop!
And then there was the infamous episode with her knee socks. The story goes something like this,… my sister was about 3 or 4 years old and had these knee socks that were strawberry shortcake themed. She refused to wear any other socks! So, day in and day out, she would only wear her beloved Strawberry Shortcake socks to cover her little feet. This meant that my mom would have to wash her socks every single night before she went to bed so that she could put them back on in the morning. I guess my mom got tired of this process! One morning, after my sister woke up and requested her socks, my mom told her that the washer had eaten them up while being cleaned and they had disappeared. My innocent little sister believed her and I’m sure, in terrible grief-stricken-horror, walked away with her head low in sadness.
To this day, she still reminds my mom of that story and continues to love all things strawberry!!
So sadly (because my sister couldn’t be here to enjoy it), but happily (because J was here to devourer it!), I made a Strawberry Shortcake dessert the other day! It was yummy, delicious, and automatically made me feel like summer had arrived!!!
The recipe came from the same Cuisine at Home issue that I had also used for the Roasted Corn Salsa and Honey Lime Chicken. I was a little wary, since the only other time I had made Strawberry Shortcake it didn’t turn out so well. But, I decided I was up for the challenge and tried out this recipe.
I was so happy I did. The process was fun, the texture and taste delicious, and the end product—beautiful!!
What you’ll need for this recipe is:
-Flour
-Sugar
-Baking Powder
-Salt
-Unsalted Butter
-Heavy Cream
-Plain Yogurt
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and grab 1 3/4 c. flour, 3 tbsp. sugar, 1 tbsp. baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt.
Whisk those together in a bowl (or, I used my food processor for easy mixing).
Then grab 1/2 stick (4 tbsp.) of unsalted, cold butter.
Blend in the flour and butter until the flour mixture resembles pea sized balls (I used our food processor, but you can also use a pastry blender or fork).
Make sure to not over mix or mix til the butter melts. You want the butter to stay chilled.
Then stir, in a separate bowl, 1/2 c. of heavy cream and 1/3 c. of plain yogurt. After the two ingredients are combined, mix them into the flour mixture and blend ingredients together with a fork until dough comes together. Do not over mix,…it’s ok for it to be a little clumpy.
Grab the dough and form it into a 1 inch thick circle onto a lightly floured surface.
Using a biscuit cutter (about 2 1/2 inches in diameter), cut out shortcakes (making sure to not twist the cutter as you cut, keeping yourself from doing this will make them rise more efficiently).
After you have cut out as many shortcakes are you can (I cut out 5),..
…gently pat the remaining scraps together into a another shortcake.
Then place them on your cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper.
After you have your shortcakes laid out,…
grab your cream and brush the top surface with it, using a pastry brush.
See how pretty it looks?
Then, use your extra sugar and sprinkle the top of your heavy cream, covered shortcake.
I used raw cane sugar because it has a nice texture, but you can use any type you like.
Then bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes,… just until they are golden brown.
Let them cool for a bit,…
While they are cooling, slice up some strawberries,….
Whip up some cream,….
And, assemble your Strawberry Shortcake!!
Classic Shortcakes
(taken from Cuisine at Home, June 2008 issue)
makes 6, total time 35 minutes
Whisk Together:
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Cut in/Add:
1/2 stick (4 tbsp.) cold, unsalted butter
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. plain yogurt
Brush and Sprinkle with:
Heavy Cream
Sanding or Granulated Sugar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
Cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry blender until butter is the size of peas. Stir cream and yogurt together in a second bowl, add to flour mixture, and blend with a fork just until dough comes together. Pat out dough on a lightly floured surface into a circle about 1″ thick. Using a 2 1/2″ round cutter, cut out as many shortcakes as possible and place on a prepared baking sheet. Gently press scraps into a 1″ thick circle and cut remaining biscuits.
Brush with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
