March 9, 2012

Strawberry Shortcake


C and E came over for dinner recently so we could all catch up on the latest news (and gossip!).   Dinner was light fare by my standards, chicken tortilla soup, but dessert called for something more substantial.   As soon as I saw the ripe, juicy strawberries at the market I knew I had to make shortcakes for the girls. 

Strawberry shortcake is so simple to make and so delicious.  All you need are flaky, tender biscuits, sliced strawberries and lightly sweetened whipped cream - what could be easier?


C is gluten-intolerant so I made the biscuits with C4C flour and, as expected, they came out fantastic.  I've waxed poetic about this product before and I stand by my original testimony - I'm telling you, the stuff is truly amazing!  Instead of topping the strawberries with plain whipped cream I like to make it with cream cheese.  The slight tang of the cheese perfectly counterbalances any heaviness in the dessert.

When strawberry season is in full force you have to make these strawberry shortcakes.  You won't regret it!



Strawberry Shortcake (adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

Makes about 6 shortcakes

Fruit
2 lbs fresh strawberries, washed, dried, stemmed and sliced
6 tablespoons sugar

Biscuits
2 cups (10 ounces) C4C gluten-free flour (or all-purpose flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup buttermilk , cold
1 large egg
8 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly

Whipped Cream
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1 cup heavy cream, cold

Fruit: Gently toss the sliced strawberries and sugar in a large bowl.  Let sit for 20 minutes until some juices are released.  Set aside.

Biscuits: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees.  Whisk flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and salt in large bowl. Whisk together buttermilk and egg in medium bowl; add melted butter and stir until butter forms small clumps. 

Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon until dough comes together and no dry flour remains. Continue stirring vigorously for 30 seconds. Using greased 1/3 cup dry measure, scoop up mound of dough and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (if dough sticks to cup, use small spoon to pull it free). Repeat with remaining dough, spacing biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart, to create 6 biscuits. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon sugar evenly over top of biscuits. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 15 minutes before assembling.

Whipped Cream: Place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Reduce speed to low and add heavy cream in slow, steady stream; when almost fully combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes more, scraping bowl as needed

Assemble: Split each biscuit in half and place bottoms on individual serving plates. Spoon portion of sliced strawberries over each bottom. Top strawberries with a large spoon of whipped cream and cap with biscuit top. Serve immediately.

2 comments:

  1. Not only does your shortcake look amazing, I have the same set of plates =)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your cream cheese whipped cream is great! I served it on strawberry shortcakes but it would also be terrific on pancakes or as a big dollop on coffee.

    ReplyDelete

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