From the blog For Love of the Table
For the Berries:
Clean and hull 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of fresh strawberries. Halve or quarter them, depending on the size of the berries. Toss them with a quarter cup of sugar. Taste and add more sugar (a tablespoon at a time) if they need it—but ripe, in-season, local berries shouldn't need much more. Let the berries macerate while the shortcake bakes, stirring them occasionally. If you like, just before serving, mash about a quarter to a third of the berries with a fork or a potato masher.
For the Shortcake Biscuit:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (6 oz.)
1/4 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. sugar
4 T. cold butter
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 T. sugar
Preheat the oven to 450°. Grease and flour an 8” round cake pan. Combine the dry ingredients. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients, just until there are no large lumps remaining
.
Combine the cream and buttermilk and add. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the liquid using a few, deft strokes. The dough will be quite wet–almost more of a thick batter. It will look quite lumpy and not at all uniform. Do not over mix.
Dollop the dough into the prepared pan, spreading minimally—the dough should be of a roughly even depth and the bottom of the pan should not be visible—a rough lumpy surface is perfect.
Sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over the top. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The finished biscuit should be a beautiful golden brown and springy to the touch. Do not under bake. Cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack..and let the cake rest at least 10 to 15 minutes before cutting.
The shortcake is best served warm. If not serving right away, warm briefly in a 350° oven. Cut the cake into 8 wedges and split each wedge horizontally. Place a bottom half on each plate, top with a generous spoonful of berries (and some of the delicious juices). Place the top half of the biscuit over the berries. Serve with a blob of sweetened whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.
(Biscuit recipe loosely adapted from Cookwise, by Shirley Corriher)
http://www.forloveofthetable.com/2014/05/old-fashioned-strawberry-shortcake.html
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