Strawberry Shortcake

When it comes to food, I make plans.  As illustrated last week, I know what's for dinner each night, and I have a list when I go to the store.  Every item that makes it into my grocery cart has a purpose.  I can be derailed, however, by the produce at Berkeley Bowl.  For those of you unfamiliar, Berkeley Bowl is a grocery store with an enormous produce section.  It was even featured on an episode of Radiolab about choice, in which Jad and Robert talk about selecting an apple from among dozens of varieties.  Not only is the diversity of options incredible, but everything is ridiculously cheap.  It's not the rare occasion that some figs, asparagus, or plums make their way into my cart unexpectedly.

Or, in the case of this week, strawberries.  Intellectually, I know what they're playing at.  They stack them so beautifully, boxes filled with vibrant red berries.  You try to pass them by, but the air is filled with the scent of early summer.  And there's a giant sign that informs you those four pounds of strawberries can be yours for only $2.50.  And so you make them yours.

I don't even like strawberries; I don't really like any berries at all.  I was the kid you wanted to take berry picking.  As my brother shoveled handfuls of blueberries in his mouth, each and every one of mine went straight into my bucket.  I've warmed up to them over the years, but I am not strawberries' biggest fan.  But if you put it on a cake and serve it with whipped cream, I will eat it.  There's something so quaint, so delightful about strawberry shortcake.  And it's a pretty good way to eat four pounds of strawberries before they start to rot, which seems like a physically daunting task.

I went for a traditional biscuit because if there is one thing I love, it's biscuits.  I don't know when I made my first batch, but it was young enough to develop aspirations of becoming a cook at a logger camp.  Yes, I wanted to make biscuits for lumberjacks all day long.  I maintain that I would have been extremely successful if I had chosen that career path.

These biscuits are topped with turbinado sugar to give them a sweet crunch, but other than that, I try to leave all the sweetness to the strawberries.  It's such a simple dessert, but it looks impressive and tastes even better.  The strawberries start to form a syrup that permeates the biscuits, and each bite is a little bit soft, a little bit crunchy, a little bit juicy, and a little bit creamy.  Strawberry shortcake is the ultimate way to usher in the summer, and it's fashionable both before and after Memorial Day.

Strawberry Shortcake
Makes eight servings

For the biscuits:
1 1/2 c flour
3/4 c cake flour
3 T sugar
1/2 t salt
6 T butter, cold, plus 2 T butter, melted
1 c heavy cream
1 1/2 T turbinado sugar

For the strawberries:
2 pints strawberries, sliced
2 T sugar

whipped cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Whisk flour, cake flour, sugar, and salt together.  Blend the cold butter in with your fingers, until you have a breadcrumb consistency.  Move quickly so as not to warm the butter too much.  Stir in the cream until completed mixed.

Turn out the dough, and knead until it comes together.  Roll out to a 3/4 inch thickness.  Stamp out biscuits using a biscuit cutter, drinking glass, or mason jar.  You should have eight biscuits, give or take.

Transfer biscuits to a baking sheet, and brush them with melted butter.  Sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly, and bake for 25 minutes.  Let cool.

Toss strawberries with sugar, and let sit for 15 minutes.

Whip enough cream for the number of shortcakes you will be making.  I used about a cup of cream for three servings, and I whipped it with the zest of one lemon.  The amount of whipped cream was probably excessive, but it's up to you.

To serve, split each biscuit in half.  Top each bottom half with strawberries and whipped cream, and replace the tops.  Spoon more berries and cream on top, if desired (always desire!).

I made the full recipe of biscuits, since they keep for a few days (rewarm them in the oven for a few minutes before serving).  You'll only want to make the amount of strawberries you'll be eating right away, since the won't keep for long.  Just eyeball it, and sprinkle some sugar on top.