Home Cooking Chronicles: Strawberry shortcake

Seize the short strawberry season this year with a strawberry shortcake.

When I used to teach baking classes, a question that came up frequently was, "What's the difference between a biscuit and a scone?" The line is blurry. I don't think there's a definite answer, because of the definitions of biscuit and scone.

The Webster's Dictionary definition of a biscuit is unflattering. To Webster, a biscuit is a "hard or crisp dry baked good." The definition of a scone doesn't fair much better. Then you throw into the mix, "What is a shortcake?"

At this point in my life, I don't care about that level of technicality. As long as it's delicious and baked during the short strawberry season, I’m satisfied.

Strawberry shortcake is a quintessential summer dessert, especially when made with local ripe strawberries. While you can salvage less than pristine strawberries for a shortcake, what's the point? It's just going to make you sad.

My secret for harnessing the full flavor experience for a strawberry shortcake is to slather your shortcake (or biscuit, or scone) with strawberry jam first. It's next-level deliciousness.

Adapted from Melissa Clark and Smitten Kitchen, serves six to eight

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh, ripe, local strawberries, trimmed and

sliced 1/4-inch thick

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

• Strawberry jam

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into

1/2-inch pieces

• Two large egg yolks

• 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus 2 to 3 tablespoons

• 3 tablespoons chunky or granulated sugar

• 1 cup heavy cream

• Sugar, to taste

Preparation

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar and salt until combined. Add butter and, using a pastry blender, break it into pea-sized bits.

In a small bowl, whisk yolks with a splash of cream, then pour the rest of the cream in and whisk to combine. Pour into the butter and flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to mix into one cohesive dough.

Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a 1-inch high circle on a floured countertop. Keep the dough as cold as possible.

Next, divide the dough into six to eight shortcakes using a biscuit cutter. Place each shortcake on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with heavy cream, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes until lightly golden. Let cool on a cooling rack.

While baking the shortcakes, mix the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and let macerate so that the juices run.

In a large bowl, make whipped cream by beating heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar to taste. Carefully split each cooled shortcake with a serrated knife. Slather the bottom with strawberry jam, then spoon berries and their juices over the bottom half. Heap generously with whipped cream and place shortcake "lid" on top.

Brian Medford is a baker, teacher and the owner of The Rusty Cup in Astoria. He has lived in the Northwest for more than 20 years and delights in Southern cooking. Contact him at [email protected].

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