Southern Shortcake Food

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.

SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven 450 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in butter and shortening. Mix in half-and-half. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until brown. Cool and eat with berries, ice cream and/or whipped cream.

OLD- FASHIONED STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans.
• In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Add the cold butter and cut in with 2 knives or a pastry blender to coarse-crumb consistency.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk until fully combined. Gradually stir the egg and milk mixture into the flour mixture. Knead the dough for no more than a minute on a lightly floured board. Pat half the dough into each cake pan. Brush the surfaces with the melted butter. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Turn the shortcake layers out onto cooling racks.
• While the layers are cooling, wash the strawberries and remove the hulls. Reserve a few berries for garnish. Cut the large berries in half and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Let stand for about 30 minutes.
• Spoon half of the berries with their juice over one shortcake layer. Place the second layer on top and spoon the remaining berries and juice over it. Top with whipped cream.

SOUTHERN PEACH SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly butter a 9-inch cast iron skillet and set aside. Reserve remaining butter.
• Combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in 1/2 cup cold butter with a pastry knife until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour in milk and stir just until the dough starts to come together.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Divide ball in half and lightly knead each half. Gently roll each half into a 9-inch circle.
• Place 1 dough circle into the prepared skillet, and dot with reserved butter. Place second dough circle on top of the butter pieces, and place the skillet in the center of the preheated oven.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is lightly browned, 22 to 25 minutes.
• While the shortcake is baking, prepare peaches. Slice 1 peach, toss with 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and set aside. Chop the remaining peaches, yielding about 4 cups, and toss with remaining lemon juice.
• Turn shortcake out onto a rack to slightly cool, about 5 minutes. Slice in half crosswise, using the edge of the second layer as a guide. Place bottom half on a serving plate, cut side up.
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup white sugar on a plate and lightly mash 2 cups of peaches into the sugar. Spread out mashed peaches and sugar over the shortcake layer on the serving plate. Cover mashed peaches with the second shortcake layer, cut side up.
• Toss remaining chopped peaches with remaining sugar and distribute on top of the second layer. Toss peach slices in any remaining juice, and place in a decorative pattern on top of the shortcake.

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.

GENUINE SOUTHERN STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix well. Add the butter and, using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the mixture till crumbly.
• In a small bowl, combine the egg and half-and-half and beat till well blended, then add to the flour mixture and stir till thoroughly moist.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead very briefly. With your hands, pat out the dough to about a 1/2-inch thickness, then, using a floured 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 6 biscuits.
• Place the biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake on the upper rack of the oven till slightly brown on top, about 12 minutes.
• While they're still hot, split open the biscuits, spread lightly with butter, and arrange close together on a crystal cake plate.
• Spoon the berries and cream onto the biscuits and serve while still warm. (For attractive individual servings, prop one biscuit half at an angle on the other on small dessert plates and spoon berries and cream over the tops.
• Note: I've used Bisquick Mix for the biscuits when I don't have the time to make the real deal, and in my opinion they are quite acceptable, too. Just be sure to use only the freshest, ripe, sweet strawberries, and serve the biscuits warm with butter.

BUTTERMILK STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/3 cup white sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl.
• Cut in cold butter with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (If desired, place flour mixture into the work bowl of a food processor with the butter; pulse several times to cut butter into the flour mixture. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl, and proceed.)
• Stir in buttermilk until the flour mixture is moistened.
• Drop 1/3-cup scoops of the dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Brush biscuits with heavy cream and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Mix together the sliced strawberries, 1/4 cup white sugar, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Allow berries to rest until juices develop, about 30 minutes.
• Serve the strawberries with juice over the biscuits.