CK'S KITCHEN: Prepare strawberry shortcake for a tasty dessert

As a do-over for missing my boyfriend's July birthday because of work travel, I planned to make amends by combining flour, sugar and butter to bake up a proper mea culpa. When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday dessert, he requested strawberry shortcake — "with those yellow sponge cakes at the grocery. It's easy!" Oh boy, surely he knew me better than that. I prefer to do things the hard way and any conciliatory shortcake would have to be made from scratch with intention and some summer sweat equity. Enter this gem of a recipe for The Best Strawberry Shortcakes. I wasn't worried about it being the best because I was quite confident it would be better than a store-bought version. Not throwing shade here — I grew up eating those dense little cakes with some sliced berries atop! Buttermilk biscuit I love firsts and this was my first time making buttermilk biscuits from scratch. Turns out they are super easy, requiring very simple ingredients, other than the cold buttermilk. I needed every drop of the 1¼ cups to make a sticky dough and then forgot to brush on additional buttermilk until they had been in the oven for five minutes. Oh well. While the biscuits baked, I sliced my pound of fresh strawberries and then mashed up half of them, before stirring them all together with the sugar and vanilla to sit and develop flavor for a while. I'm often a purist with fruit and never add sweeteners but I decided to give over to the instructions and trust the process. Whipped out Like we always do when we're together, we packed the day with one adventure after another: taking a 20-mile bike ride, returning a large unwieldy patio table in his pickup, grilling up surf and turf (salmon and steaks) for dinner, and then topping it all off with these celebratory cakes. It was nearly 10:30 p.m. (because we try to do too much in a day!) when I affixed my whisk attachment to my KitchenAid to start making the whipped cream. It only took about five minutes to transform the heavy cream and vanilla into soft and fluffy peaks. I quickly assembled the cakes, slicing the biscuits and topping with whipped cream and berries. My daughter, Emma, joined us for the taste testing. I can honestly say that this was the best strawberry shortcake I've ever had. Emma had two servings. So I think that means she liked it! It was an all-around hit and the only thing I would do differently is to double the amount of strawberries because they were the showstoppers. The biscuits are a keeper too! If you're not a strawberry fan, you can use any berry or fruit instead. Trust me, these shortcakes are yummy enough to make up for any shortcomings. Contact Chrissy Kadleck at ckadleck@sbcglobal.net. The Best Strawberry Shortcakes Biscuits: 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon coarse salt ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed 1¼ cup cold buttermilk, plus more for brushing Macerated strawberries: 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced ⅓ cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Whipped cream: 1½ cup cold heavy whipping cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract To make the biscuits: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 2. In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 3. Add cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or fork until butter is the size of peas. 4. Add 1 cup of the buttermilk and use a spoon or spatula to combine. Add remaining ¼ cup buttermilk as needed to make a wet sticky dough. Do not overmix or biscuits won't rise properly, stop mixing when all dry bits are incorporated. 5. Use a scoop or large spoon to drop into 12 biscuits on the prepared sheet pan. Brush tops with more buttermilk. 6. Bake until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18-20 minutes. Let cool completely. To make the macerated strawberries: 1. Place half of strawberries in a bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork. 2. Add remaining strawberries, sugar and vanilla and stir until combined. Set aside for at least 20 minutes. To make the vanilla whipped cream: 1. With an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream and vanilla on medium high speed until thick and creamy, but not at all lumpy. To serve shortcakes: Slice biscuits in half. Place a generous dollop of whipped cream on top of the bottom biscuit. Spoon some strawberries and juices on top and cover with top biscuit. Enjoy immediately. NUTRITION FACTS: Calories: 344kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 326mg, Potassium: 248mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 719IU, Vitamin C: 22mg, Calcium: 104mg, Iron: 2mg Makes 12 servings SOURCE: completelydelicious.com