Recipe: Southern Strawberry Shortcake

Its summertime in the south and that means two things, strawberries and sweat. We’re firm believers in the motto, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” (and why would you? You’d just sweat more). So that’s why we’ve taken our classic buttermilk biscuits, dressed ‘em up a bit, and use them instead of the traditional shortcake for this classic summertime dessert.

The tang of the buttermilk when mixed with the sweetness of the sprinkled sugar and the savory-ness of the whipped cream is a refreshing delight that brings you that back-home southern comfort with each bite.

An important note before beginning is that my image does not contain the macerated berries that the recipe calls for below. Though the macerated berries make the dessert undoubtedly more delicious, the version shown has fewer calories due to its use of raw berries.

INGREDIENTS – BISCUITS   

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into strips

1 tablespoon unsalted melted butter

¾ cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon sugar, for sprinkle coating

INGREDIENTS – WHIPPED CREAM

1 ½ cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

INGREDIENTS – STRAWBERRIES

1 ½ pounds strawberries sliced longways

3 tablespoons sugar

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

Slice the strawberries bottom to top in order to create thin “triangles”. Place them in a container with the sugar. Gently mix, then seal, and place them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

STEP 2

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

STEP 3

Mix all biscuit ingredients together in large bowl. Spoon out biscuit sized heaps onto nonstick cookie sheet. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

STEP 4

Make the whipped cream. Using a stand or electric hand mixer, beat the cream on high with the whisk attachment. Once stiff peaks have formed, add the sugar and vanilla. Be careful not to over mix.

STEP 5

To serve, slice a biscuit in half horizontally. Plate the bottom portion, then spoon some of the macerated strawberries, with their juice, on top. Add a dollop of whipped cream, then the top half of the biscuit then more whipped cream, followed by a whole strawberry (or more sliced strawberries). A small sprig of mint leaves are an optional, yet refreshing garnish.

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