Pim's strawberry shortcake

I haven't posted anything I made myself in so long I wonder if anyone still thinks I could cook!  Anyway, I made strawberry shortcake the other day for Chiraz's lovely party.  The recipe hasn't been posted yet, so here it is.

This is actually my scone recipe, which, like my Madeleine recipe, is result of lots of trials and errors.  I started with a number of different recipes from many sources, but couldn't find one that I like, so I finally settled on one of my own.

I weigh my ingredients instead of measuring.  I made that conversion a long time ago.  And let me tell you, if you haven't yet, do it.  You will love me for it.  Well, then again you may love me already, :-) in which case you would love me even more.

Pim's shortcake
(makes about 12)

550 g. Pastry flour
100 g. granulated sugar
1tbsp+1teaspoon baking powder
1 tsp. salt
80 g. butter
500 ml. or 2 cups of heavy cream
zests from 1 lemon
some mints for garnish

1. Sift all the dry ingredients together into a large mixing bowl.  Well, on my lazy days I just stir them around without sifting, which works just fine as well--just don't say it too loudly.  shhhh.......
2. Cut the butter, using a pastry cutter or fork, or even your own fingers, just make sure you work fast and your hands are cold so the butter is not melted.  Get the butter well distributed into the flour mixture, which should resemble coarse crumb by the time you are done. 
3. Zest the lemon, then stir the zests into the cream until well mixed.
4. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, pour the cream into it, then slowly and gently mix the wet and dry ingredients together until the dough becomes a loose and wet mass.
5. Turn the dough onto a pastry board which has been lightly floured.  Knead it a few times to get the dough to form a more or less smooth mass. 
6. Press it out to a circle, then roll it out to about 1 inch thick and cut into 2.5 inches circle, using a very sharp dough cutter.  It is important to use a very sharp cutter to make sure the biscuits rise properly during baking.  Knead the leftover dough together and cut into more circles, don't worry too much about it getting tough, with this much fat, this dough is rather forgiving.  You should get between 12-15 rounds when you are done. 
7.  Brush the top with either leftover cream or some egg wash.  Bake immediately.
8.  Bake in a preheated oven at 400F or 200C, for about 15-18 minutes.  You will smell it when it's done. 

For strawberry shortcake
1. Wash and dry your strawberries well, put into a large bowl, add some sugar, lemon juice, a handful of mint, and a few tablespoonfuls of Grande Marnier to give your berries an extra kick.  Macerate the berries in the fridge for an hour or two until ready to serve.
2.  Whip the cream, about 700 g., with a few tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt, until it forms a soft peak.  Use the best quality cream you could find because it will be all you taste.  I use Strauss Organic Heavy Cream, which super heavenly whipped cream, in my opinion at least.  I like the cream lightly sweetened, so I don't use a lot of sugar on mine, preferring to let the sweetness of the berries shine.  But you, of course, could do whatever you want. 

To serve:
Slice the biscuits into halves, pile strawberries on the bottom pieces, letting a few drop out onto the plates, drop a healthy dollop of cream in the middle, then top each one with a top of the biscuit.  Garnish with some mints if you have any handy.

Bon appetit!  And be sure to let me know how you like it.

Comments

[Allen]

Wow, that's a lot of whipped cream for one shortcake biscuit. My stomach gurgles just thinking of the fat. :X

I made my own gigantic strawberry shortcake when I went strawberry picking 3 weeks ago. I had forgotten to whip the heavy cream with sugar. Not only that, the shortcake was more of a mound than a biscuit. Not to mention the nasty burn I got when my oven mitt slipped... Eh, I'm such a klutz.

It's pretty late in the season for strawberries, isn't it? Here in New York, all the strawberries are already twice their usual seasonal price as well as a bit - well - mushy. Your strawberries are so perfect looking. I'm envious. Not to mention hungry. ;P

[sher]

MMMM...that shortcake! Wonderful. It looks a lot like the recipe my mom used when she made her shortcake. We grew our own strawberries and they were such a treat, intensely sweet and fragrant. After we picked them, we smelled like strawberries all day long.

Sher

[Pim]

Allen,

Yes, it's rather late in the season, but Lucero farm here still had good ones last weekend. I wanted to do it before it was really too late, that's why.

Sher,

What a lovely memory? If my mother had made shortcakes, they would have made for a different kind of memory. :-)

Pim

[Reid]

Pim,

Looks so yummy! I wish I could eat this right now. We haven't had very nice strawberries all season...I wonder why? I haven't made strawberry shortcake in a while because of that. BTW...nice job with the whipped cream! =)

[mademoiselle a.]

Looks good, and despite the whipped cream very refreshing. In fact, cold whipped cream is refreshing.

I think measuring ingredients is typically American? We use to weigh everything, excpet liquids of course, and definitely it's a much safer thing to do, for many reasons.

Bon quartoze, a propo!

[anthony]

Amongst other things, I've been told the "spoons" differ between countries. Gravity is constant. I should have paid more attention when this was explained to me but I'm a man for whom "a bit of" is the very acme of precision.

Looks great, but don't shortcakes have Napoleon complexes?

[Max]

I think you mean a handful of mint. A handful of mints would be a bit weird.

[Max]

I think you mean a handful of mint. A handful of mints would be a bit weird.

[Robin]

Great recipe. Now if you could only get some West Country unpasteurized clotted cream...

[Pim]

Oh trust me my dear Robin, I dream of those clotted cream.

[Chiraz]

I thought this was the best dessert I have had for a long time especially thanks to the Grand Marnier marinated fresh strawberries... Merci Pim for this lovely dessert you have prepared for all of us.

[gee]

clotted cream on shortcake? they aren't scones.
garnishing with mint encourages degenerates who don't know any better to chop some up and mix it in. Best stay away. grand marnier... grumble... kids these days... grumble grumble.