Strawberry Shortcake

After picking a bucket of strawberries at the farm, I decided that the beautiful, juicy berries would be perfect for strawberry shortcakes. Instead of using the pre-formed shortcakes that you buy in the grocery store, I decided to make my own from scratch. Everyone was happy with the results from a recipe I found on Bon Appetit’s website.

Strawberry Shortcake

Shortcakes

2 hard-boiled egg yolks, cooked
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons fine-grind cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Granulated sugar for sprinkling

Assembly

1 ½ pounds strawberries, hulled, halved, quartered
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
1 cup heavy cream, cold
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

This recipe calls for a food processor, but I did not have one available. First, I attempted to use a blender with less than desirable results, so I went old school and combined everything by hand. I combined the egg yolks, flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and sugar, mixing it well. I added the butter pieces and continued mixing the dough until there were only pea-sized pieces.

I added the cream and stirred the mixture just enough to combine it. I turned the dough out onto a cutting board and folded it on top of itself a few times, gently, just enough to moisten any dry spots and bring the dough together.

Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, I made six mounded balls and put them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. A two-ounce ice cream scoop would have worked well, but I did not have one. I covered the dough and chilled it for 25 minutes.

I heated the oven to 350-degrees while the biscuits chilled. I brushed the tops of the shortcakes with the remaining cream and sprinkled them with sugar. The next time, I will be neater while doing this step as the cream puddled around the biscuits burned a little while baking. I baked the cakes for about 30 minutes until they were golden, and the sides were firm. I allowed the shortcakes to cool.

While the cakes cooled, I put a medium metal bowl in the freezer. I tossed the strawberries with the ¼ cup of sugar, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt together in another medium bowl. I put half of the strawberries in a saucepan, leaving the other half to macerate. I added a tablespoon of water to the saucepan and gently simmered the berries over medium-low heat. I cooked the berries, stirring them occasionally, keeping them at a low simmer until they started to break down, becoming jammy with syrupy liquid, about 18 minutes.

I cooled the berries in an ice bath and then stirred in a teaspoon of lemon juice, stirring the other teaspoon of lemon juice into the macerated berries. If it weren’t getting late, I would have let the compote cool on its own.

Next, I combined the cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl from the freezer. I didn’t have powdered sugar, so I made a substitute by crushing granulated sugar as best I could with a rolling pin. It wasn’t quite powdered sugar, but it worked. I scraped the seeds from the vanilla bean and added them to the cream, saving the pod to make vanilla extract. I beat the cream mixture vigorously with a whisk until it was soft peaks. My arm got tired, so I recruited Chris to finish the job for me.

With everything ready to go, I cut the shortcakes in half and put the bottoms in bowls. I spooned the strawberry compote over the shortcakes, dividing it evenly between them. Next, I added the macerated strawberries and topped them with the whipped cream. Finally, I put the tops of the shortcakes on the whipped cream.

The biscuits were just sweet enough to let the berries shine. The subtle vanilla flavor of the whipped cream added a lovely flair to the dessert. These were the best strawberry shortcakes I’ve ever had. They were so good that even Chris finished an entire desert, which rarely happens.

The recipe makes six servings, each with 582 calories, 56 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, and 38 grams of fat.