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Posted April 2006
Wine Country Recipes –
 Classic Strawberry Shortcake
From April through June is the best time to get ripe, delicious
strawberries from California. Though most of us are still peeling
off winter parkas and drying out from the rains, it's the height
of the season for strawberries. This tasty recipe pairs the classic
shortcake with fresh berries and whipped cream for a slice of
heaven.
Classic Strawberry Shortcake with Fresh Sauce Yields 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. cold whipping cream
Fresh Strawberry Sauce:
1 pint basket Santa Maria Valley strawberries (12 ounces),
stemmed and halved
Sugar to taste
Topping:
1 pint basket Santa Maria Valley strawberries (12 ounces),
stemmed and sliced
1 1/2 cups whipping cream, whipped and sweetened with sugar,
to taste
Mint sprigs, for garnish
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. To make shortcakes, in bowl, mix flour,
sugar, baking powder and salt. Gently stir with fork, gradually
mix in cream until just combined. Mixture should barely hold
together. With hands, form dough into six balls; place 3 inches
apart on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in center of oven
25 to 30 minutes until light golden brown; cool on baking sheet.
Fresh Strawberry Sauce:
In blender container, purée strawberries until smooth. Sweeten
to taste with sugar; cover and set aside.
Split shortcakes horizontally. Divide sauce among six dessert plates; top
each with a shortcake bottom, 1/4 cup sliced strawberries and 1/4 cup whipped
cream. Cover with shortcake tops. Spoon remaining strawberries and whipped
cream over shortcakes, dividing equally. Garnish with mint sprigs. |
