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Writer's pictureThe Crooked Ladle

Strawberry Shortcake that Whispers Lemon

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE WITH A KISS OF LEMON




Strawberry Shortcake with a gentle hint of lemon stands out from other recipes in a good way. And believe me when I say this homemade shortcake will always beat out the store bought overly processed sponges.


Makes: 4 Servings


Prep Time: 40 minutes


Cook Time: 20 minutes



Suggested Tools:


· Electric mixer

. Large mixing bowl

· Medium bowl

· Small bowl

. Very small bowl or cup

· Cutting board

· Rolling pin

· Stir spoon

· Measuring cups

· Measuring spoons

· Sheet pan

· Biscuit cutter or glass cup about 3 inches in diameter

. Rasp or grater with a fine side

· Pastry cutter or fork & knife

. Pastry brush

· 4 Serving plates


Ingredients:


· 2 Pints of fresh strawberries, rinsed and dried

· 2 Tablespoons + 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

(to be used separately for strawberries & shortcake)

· 4 Cups all-purpose flour

· 4 Teaspoons baking powder

· ½ Teaspoon salt

· ½ Cup (1 cube) cold butter (cut into small cubes per photo)

· 3 Tablespoons melted butter

· ½ Cup powdered sugar

· 1 Cup heavy cream

· ¼ Cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

· 1 Tablespoon lemon zest (typically from one lemon)




Directions:


Berry Preparation –


Note: You may choose to prep the strawberries in the morning to give you more time later in the day/evening at serving time.


1. Cut berries to your desired shape and size. I recommend not slicing them so much as randomly cutting them into bite size pieces.


2. Sprinkle two tablespoons of sugar evenly over the cut strawberries, stir gently and place in the refrigerator to allow them to bloom (fosters flavorings) until needed for serving.




Shortcake –


1. In a large bowl combine four cups flour, three tablespoons sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, baking powder and lemon zest.


2. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and combine by using either a pastry cutter or cut butter into dry ingredients with a fork and knife until the butter is somewhat evenly distributed.




3. Add cream and ¼ cup milk to the dry ingredients and mix to combine well. Begin to form a dough ball in the bowl. There likely will be some dry flour left in the bowl – to incorporate this into the bulk of the dough, add two more tablespoons of the milk and mix with spoon or hands.


4. Flour your hands a bit and with the dough still in the bowl, begin bringing the dough together with your hands. Kneed gently continuing to bring the dough into a mound. Then split the mound into two equal segments.



5. Flour the surface which you will be working on to form the shortcakes. Roll out one of the dough segments to not less than ½ inch thickness ensuring you will be able to cut four shortcakes.


Note: To ensure that you will be able to get four complete biscuits cut into the dough, I recommend you first lightly press your cutter four times on the rolled out dough just so it shows the indentations lightly. Then if you determine you cannot get four biscuits, you can reshape the dough to a size that ensures you can cut four biscuits.


6. In a small microwave bowl or cup, melt 3 tablespoons butter.



7. Brush sheet pan with a small amount of the melted butter. Place the first of the four biscuits on the sheet pan and brush the tops of these biscuits with butter.


8. Repeat step 5. to make the next four biscuits and place these biscuits on top of the biscuits with the melted butter. Then lightly brush the tops of these biscuit cuts with butter.





Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 17 to 20 minutes until tops are lightly brown. Allow biscuits to cool.


Note: I recommend always checking baked goods five minutes prior to the expected completion time since oven heat levels can vary in different ovens.

Whipping Cream –


Note: I prefer to make the whipping cream just prior to serving the dessert.


Prep Time: 10 minutes


Suggested Tools:


· Electric mixer and mixing bowl

· Measuring cup

· Measuring spoons

· Spatula


Ingredients:


· 2 cups heavy whipping cream or whipping cream

· 1/3 cup confectioner sugar/powdered sugar

· 1/2 teaspoon vanilla



Directions:


Note: It helps to chill both the mixing bowl and the beaters in preparation for whipping the cream, but this is not absolutely necessary. This extra process is said to speed up the whipping of the cream, but to me, in terms of time, it's just a trade off for having to chill the bowl and beaters.


1. Pour whipping cream into mixing bowl.


2. Whip on high until whipping cream begins to show soft swirls.


3. Stop mixer and add the confectioner sugar and vanilla.


4. Mix again until the cream is well mixed forming defined swirls and peaks.


Forming Strawberry Shortcake for Serving:


1. Gently separate each biscuit with your hands or a butter knife and place the one of the two halves on an individual serving plate. Place about half of a cup of the whipped cream on the bottom biscuit. Spoon the desired amount of strawberries (or about ½ cup) onto the whipped cream. Then add a little more whipped cream on top of the strawberries. Onto that whipped cream, place the top portion of the biscuit.


And now you have a beautiful and delightful dessert.


The Crooked Ladle


Savor the taste



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