*crispy waffle*

Cute little Holland strawberries

I always do this. I always wait until something is going out of season before I'm like, "Oh no! It's going out of season!" This happens to me every summer with strawberries. We see the first ones appear in April or May, and usually I tell the kids, "Let's wait a bit -- those ones will be too sour yet." Then June is prime time for the berries and I usually am thinking, "Still a while to go while they're in season." Then I start seeing strawberries from Spain show up in the market and it's finally, "Uh oh..."

So with a last hurrah, I'll usually make strawberry shortcake. I actually make scone-ish, biscuit type shortcake, which I think with it's crunchy edge, tastes a lot better with berries and whipped cream. And speaking of whipped cream, I prefer this with sweetened creme fraiche, or even sweetened Greek yogurt. This is a super easy dessert, easily prepared right before dinner so the the biscuits bake while you are eating.

If you prefer regular whipped cream, check out my recipe for strawberry waffles (another great dessert prepared in almost the same way.)

Don't be like me -- don't wait until they're going out of season. But if you do, this is a great way to have that last in-season bite.

Strawberry shortcakes
8 servings

For strawberry mixture:
2 pints fresh strawberries (about 1 liter volume)
1/4 cup sugar (50 g)
a pinch of salt

For biscuits:
2 cups AP flour (250 g)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar (50 g)
1 stick (110 g) butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk (120 ml)
1 cup creme fraiche, with 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon sugar stirred in

Quarter the strawberries, and take 1/3 of them and mash with a fork. Combine the mashed strawberries with the quartered strawberries and sprinkle with the sugar and salt. Allow to macerate for about a half hour.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (22o C). Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the cold butter. With a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (You can also combine the ingredients in a food processor and give it a whiz for a few seconds.)
Whisk together the egg and milk and pour into the flour mixture. Using a spatula, mix until the dough comes together. Turn it out onto a floured surface and flatten out.
With a knife, cut into 8 squares. Place the squares on a baking sheet prepped with parchment paper. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with extra sugar.
Bake for 12-14 minutes. Remove and cool on a cooling rack.
To serve: Place the biscuits on the serving plates, then split the biscuits lengthwise. Spoon the strawberry mixture on each biscuit and top with the creme fraiche.

Almost gone!

Links:
Crispywaffle: Strawberry waffles

Labels: recipes, the sweet

posted by sheryl | 8:14 PM |