South Carolina Strawberry Shortcake Food

CLASSIC STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine strawberries, 1/2 cup sugar, and, if desired, almond extract. Cover berry mixture, and let stand 2 hours.
• Beat whipping cream at medium speed with an electric mixer until foamy; gradually add 2 Tbsp. sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Cover and chill up to 2 hours.
• Combine flour, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl; cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender or two forks until crumbly.
• Whisk together eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until blended; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop dough by lightly greased 1/3 cupfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet. (Coat cup with vegetable cooking spray after each drop.)
• Bake at 450° for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.
• Split shortcakes in half horizontally. Spoon about 1/2 cup berry mixture onto each shortcake bottom; top each with a rounded Tbsp. chilled whipped cream, and cover with tops. Serve with remaining whipped cream. Garnish, if desired.

CLASSIC STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Whisk together the flour, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour, using your fingers or a pastry cutter, until the butter pieces are the size of small peas.
• Whisk together 1/3 cup of the cream with the egg and 1/3 cup water in a small bowl. Add to the dry mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until a stiff batter forms. Drop 6 mounds onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each biscuit. Brush with a bit of cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet.
• While the biscuits bake and cool, combine the honey with 1/3 cup water and a pinch of salt in a small saucepot. Gently simmer, stirring, over medium heat until the honey is dissolved and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Cool, and then toss in a medium bowl with the strawberries and mint. If time allows, set aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the strawberries to release their juices.
• To assemble, whip the remaining 1 cup cream with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar to soft peaks in a medium bowl. Split each biscuit and place the bottom half on a plate. Top evenly with the berries and accumulated juices and then the whipped cream. Place the top of the biscuit on the shortcake and garnish with fresh mint.

THE BEST CLASSIC STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• For the shortcakes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk the heavy cream, sour cream and vanilla in a small bowl; refrigerate until ready to use. Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter; pulse until the mixture looks like fine meal. Pour in the chilled heavy cream mixture and pulse until just combined.
• Lightly flour a work surface and dump the dough onto it. Pat out the dough 1/2-inch thick. Cut out as many biscuits as you can with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter. Then pat the remaining dough out to 1/2-inch thick again. Cut more biscuits; you should get 12.
• Put 6 of the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops generously with cream, then top each cream-brushed biscuit with one of the remaining biscuit rounds. (This makes it easier to split once they are baked.) Brush the top of each biscuit stack with more heavy cream and sprinkle 1 teaspoon granulated sugar on each biscuit.
• Bake the biscuits until golden and puffed, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
• Meanwhile, for the topping: Toss the strawberries and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar in a medium bowl.
• Just before serving, beat the heavy cream, sour cream, the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.
• Split the shortcakes in half. Spoon half the cream on the bottom of the biscuits, top evenly with the strawberries and top with the remaining cream. Put each biscuit top on and serve.

CAROLINA BUTTERMILK BISCUITS (AND/OR SOUTHERN SHORTCAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500°. In a bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt. Work the butter or lard in until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and stir until the dough forms a ball.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over onto itself 10 times. Pat the dough out to an 8-inch square. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, stamp out 12 biscuits; reroll the scraps and stamp out more biscuits.
• Arrange the biscuits on a baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven for 8 minutes, or until golden. Serve hot.