Strawberry Shortcakes With Mint And Whipped Cream Food

MOM'S STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8-in. square baking pan. In a large bowl, beat eggs on medium speed 3 minutes. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating until thick and lemon-colored. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; beat into egg mixture. In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter just until butter begins to melt. Beat into batter with vanilla (batter will be thin)., Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely., Just before serving, cut cake into serving-size pieces; cut each slice horizontally in half. In a large bowl, combine strawberries and remaining sugar; spoon between cake layers and over top of each serving. Top with whipped cream and, if desired, mint leaves.

STRAWBERRY, MINT AND THYME SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• For the biscuits: Pulse the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in the food processor, about 5 seconds. Add the cold butter cubes. Using on/off turns, process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• In a liquid measure, combine the heavy cream and orange zest. Add the heavy cream-orange mixture to the dry ingredients in the processor and pulse just until moist clumps form. Gather the dough into a ball (with floured hands if the dough is sticky). Gently knead 5 turns on a floured surface. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 3/4 inch-thick. Using a 3-inch diameter biscuit cutter, cut out 3 rounds.
• Gather the dough scraps and reroll as needed to make 3 more 3-inch rounds.
• Arrange the rounds on the prepared sheet. Brush with 2 tablespoons cream and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake the biscuits until pale golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. (Biscuits can be made 2 hours ahead.)
• For the berries and cream: Combine the sliced strawberries, sugar, mint, thyme and orange zest in a medium bowl. Stir to blend. Let stand at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• For the whipped cream: Combine the heavy cream, vanilla extract, almond extract and sugar in a food processor or a large bowl and whisk until soft peaks form.
• For assembly: Cut the biscuits in half horizontally. Place 1 biscuit bottom in each of 6 bowls. Top each with 1 cup berry mixture, 3 heaping tablespoons whipped cream and then cover with the top portion of the biscuit. Add another dollop of whipped cream, if desired. Go for it!

STRAWBERRY AND BASIL-CORNMEAL SHORTCAKES WITH VANILLA WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Make the Strawberry Filling:
• Place about one-third of the strawberries in a medium nonreactive (glass or ceramic) bowl and crush them with a fork or potato masher. Add the remaining strawberries to the bowl and tear them up with your fingers into bite-size pieces, making sure any juice falls into the bowl. Sprinkle the sugar, basil, and vinegar over the strawberries and toss to coat. Let sit for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours before using.
• Make the Whipped Cream:
• Split the vanilla bean lengthwise, if using, and scrape the seeds into the heavy cream in the measuring cup. (Or add the vanilla extract.) Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the empty vanilla bean, cover with plastic wrap, and let steep in the refrigerator while you make the shortcakes.
• Make the Basil-Cornmeal Shortcakes:
• Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Combine the flour, cornmeal, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and basil in a large bowl. Cut the butter into ½-inch chunks, sprinkle over the flour, and toss to coat. Using your fingers, flatten the cubes of butter and then rub and squeeze the butter and flour together until the butter is broken into small pieces, about the size of peas.
• Set aside the egg white in a small bowl. Combine the egg yolk and the yogurt in a small bowl and beat together until the yolk is incorporated into the yogurt. Scrape the yogurt into the dry ingredients and toss first with a fork, then your hands, until a dough forms. It might seem dry at first, but keep tossing together and a dough will form. Divide the dough into 4 balls and place on the lined baking sheet, pressing down slightly to form disks. Add the water to the egg white and beat until frothy. Brush the top of each shortcake with a light coating of the egg white wash and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 14 to 18 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then carefully move to a wire rack.
• While the shortcakes are cooling, finish the whipped cream. Remove the vanilla pod from the cream and transfer the cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until soft peaks form.
• Assemble the Shortcakes:
• Use a serrated knife to split the shortcakes in half. Spoon the whipped cream onto the bottom of each shortcake, add some strawberries, sprinkle with a little basil, add another dollop of whipped cream, and replace the top of each shortcake. Serve immediately.
• Tearing Strawberries:
• It sounds odd, but tearing the strawberries by hand in this recipe actually serves a purpose. If you slice the strawberries, the fruit tends to slip and slide off the whipped cream. However, if you tear the fruit with your fingers, the jagged edges of the fruit have nooks and crannies that help capture the whipped cream. It also helps bruise the fruit so that a little more juice is released for the shortcake. So get your hands dirty and start tearing away!
• VARIATION: Blueberry and Coriander Shortcakes With Lemon-Scented Whipped Cream
• Make the blueberry filling by combining 4 cups (680 g) fresh blueberries (don't use frozen), 1⁄2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar, the zest of 1 lemon, and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the juices start to boil and a few of the berries start to pop, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature or refrigerate overnight.
• For the shortcakes, first toast 4 teaspoons coriander seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Remove and let cool, then crush with a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. Increase the all-purpose flour to 1 1⁄2 cups (210 g) and omit the cornmeal, and substitute 2 teaspoons of the crushed toasted coriander for the basil. Sprinkle 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed coriander over each shortcake with the sugar before baking. Make the whipped cream as directed, then fold in 1 tablespoon lemon zest or 2 teaspoons lemon extract. Sprinkle the remaining coriander over the blueberries when assembling in place of the basil.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE WITH THYME AND WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Bake the cake layers:
• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper, leaving sides unlined and ungreased. Melt butter in a small pot over medium heat; set aside.
• Whisk eggs, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place stand mixer bowl over a pot of barely simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved (use your fingers to check). Transfer bowl to stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment until mixture is cooled and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes (when you lift the whisk, mixture should fall back on itself in thick ribbons).
• Transfer melted butter to a medium bowl. Add thyme, vanilla, and 1 cup egg mixture to butter and whisk to combine.
• Transfer remaining egg mixture to a large wide bowl. Sift half of the flour over egg mixture. Using a rubber spatula or large balloon whisk, fold flour gently into egg mixture until almost fully incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour, then fold in butter mixture with spatula just until incorporated. Gently divide batter between prepared pans; smooth surface.
• Bake cakes until tops are deep golden and centers spring back when pressed lightly, 25-30 minutes. Immediately run a knife around edges and remove springform. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cakes cool completely.
• Make the syrup:
• Bring sugar, thyme, and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Let sit until cool, about 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup and chill until ready to use.
• Assemble the cake:
• Using a serrated knife, trim top of each cake to make them flat. Brush tops with 2-3 Tbsp. syrup per cake, depending on how concentrated you'd like the thyme flavor to be.
• Toss 10 oz. strawberries with1 Tbsp. syrup in a medium bowl and let sit at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, whip heavy cream to soft peaks in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add sour cream and 2 Tbsp. syrup and whip to stiff peaks.
• Transfer 1 cake layer to a platter and top with syrup-macerated strawberries. Top with half of the whipped cream, then place second cake layer gently on the first. Top with remaining whipped cream. Chill to set, at least 1 hour. Just before serving, arrange remaining 6 oz. strawberries, baby strawberries, if using, and thyme over cake.
• Do Ahead
• Cakes can be baked and syrup-soaked, but not assembled, 2 days ahead; wrap layers separately in plastic and chill. Thyme syrup can be made 5 days ahead; chill in a resealable container. Assembled cake can be made 12 hours ahead; chill.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES WITH WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Macerate strawberries: Place berries in a bowl; stir in lemon juice and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Let stand until berries are very juicy, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut butter into mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons cream; mix just until dough comes together. Transfer to a lightly floured surface; pat into a 1-inch-thick square. Using a 2 1/2-inch or 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 9 large or 25 small rounds; transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover; refrigerate 20 minutes or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove rounds from refrigerator. Whisk together remaining 2 tablespoons cream with egg yolk. Brush tops with egg wash. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if desired. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes for small shortcakes and 15 to 18 for large. Cool slightly on wire racks, about 15 minutes.
• Slice shortcakes open with a serrated knife; place bottom halves on serving plates. Add a dollop of whipped cream and the strawberries with their juice, and top off with matching shortcake halves.