Divine Strawberry Shortcakes

It's Strawberry Season!

I love eating strawberry shortcakes.  I make my own shortcakes and they are super easy and super delish.  Macerate the strawberries to get them good and juicy!

Strawberry Shortcakes:
Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook 2005 

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
2 cups heavy cream
1 egg, lightly beaten, for brushing

400 degree oven

In large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining.  
Pour in the heavy cream.  Using a rubber spatula, fold cream into the dough, working in all directions and incorporating crumbs at bottom of bowl, until dough just comes together.  Dough will be slightly sticky.

Notice the bits of butter visible in the dough

 Turn out dough onto lightly floured work surface.  Gently pat down to about 1 1/4 inches thick.  Cut into rounds.  I use my handy-dandy Shrek glass from McDonald's for this part!  

Place biscuits on unlined baking sheet or use a Silpat.  Brush tops of biscuits with lightly beaten eggs and dust with sanding sugar if desired.  

 

Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning pan once, until golden and flecked with brown spots.

Now for the strawberry part!

While the biscuits are baking, slice hulled strawberries (2-3 pints) in half.  Place into bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar.  Let mixture macerate* for 20 minutes.

When biscuits have cooled, slice in half horizontally, spoon strawberries over bottom biscuit with juices and top with a giant dollop of whipped cream.  

*macerate = to cause to become soft or separated into constituent elements by or as if by steeping in fluid:  i.e.  to make these strawberries juicy and divine! 

This dessert is best eaten the same day as you make it.