My friends tease me about how much I like to eat with my hands. To be honest, I find it hard to resist picking up delicious bits of food and popping them into my mouth while I’m cooking.
I blame strawberries.
Who can resist plump, juicy, jewel-colored, richly perfumed summer berries? They just beg to be eaten right away, and they’re the perfect size to go straight from the vine or the market stall to your mouth.
Markets everywhere right now are full of fresh seasonal strawberries at low prices. If I buy enough so that some of them last until I get home, I’ll probably make them into one of my favorite desserts, strawberry shortcake.
To make the best possible version of this summertime treat, buy the best strawberries possible. While many supermarkets have a good supply right now, your best bet for quality and price may be the farmers market. The best berries will be deeply colored, firm but juicy, and so sweetly aromatic that you can smell them a few feet away.
This recipe works wonderfully with other seasonal berries too: blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and boysenberries, to name a few. It’s also good with sliced summer peaches, nectarines or plums. I always toss the fruit with a little sugar, lemon juice, a splash of cherry-flavored kirsch liqueur and lemon zest to make a simple, interesting sauce.
Then, all you have to do is make shortcakes. These tender sweet biscuits are so easy to prepare that it always surprises me when people buy them ready-made. Use softer cake or pastry flour for the recipe, and handle it as gently as possible so the flour’s gluten doesn’t overdevelop and toughen the dough. You’ll get tender, flaky results.
I bake the shortcake just before serving the dessert, so its rich, warm aroma complements the sweet, juicy berries. But if you want to make them ahead of time, just rewarm them briefly in the oven. To serve, split the shortcakes and add the berries.
Of course, you need a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream with it–or whipped cream. After all, if you’re going to use a fork or spoon instead of your fingers, there had better be a good reason.
Strawberry shortcake a la mode
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Shortcake:
2 3/4 cups pastry flour or cake flour
1/4 cup sugar plus extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 2-tablespoon pieces
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon whipping cream
Filling:
2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled, cut into thick slices
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons each: lemon juice, kirsch, or other fruit liqueur
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped
1. For the shortcake, heat the oven to 375 degrees. Pulse the flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar, baking powder and salt just to combine in a food processor. Add the chilled butter; process just until combined. With the motor running, pour in 1 cup of the cream, stopping as soon as the dough just begins to gather together.
2. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface; gently knead until smooth, taking care not to overwork it. Form into a ball; roll out to a thickness of 3/4 inch. Cut into 8 circles with a 3-inch cookie or biscuit cutter, kneading the scraps together and re-rolling and cutting as necessary.
3. Arrange the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cream; sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake until golden and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes; transfer to a wire rack.
4. Meanwhile, for the filling, toss berries with the sugar in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice, kirsch and orange zest; toss. Set aside.
5. Split each shortcake horizontally in half. Place the bottom half on a dessert plate; top with a scoop of ice cream. Scatter the berry mixture and its juices over and around the ice cream. Lean the other half of each shortcake on top; spoon a dollop of whipped cream on the side.
Nutrition information per serving:
560 calories, 51% of calories from fat, 32 g fat, 20 g saturated fat, 106 mg cholesterol, 62 g carbohydrates, 7 g protein, 580 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
