DESSERT
Strawberry Shortcakes, Deconstructed
How Easy Is That? (p. 225)
Ingredients
- Strawberries 2 pints
- All-purpose flour 2 cups
- Granulated sugar 2 tbl for dough + 1/3 cup for strawberries + 1 tbl (for sprinkling)
- Baking powder 1 tbl
- Grand Marnier liquer 2 tbl
- Unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks (12 tbl)
- Eggs 2 for shortcakes + 1 for egg wash
- Heavy cream 1/2 cup
- Whipped cream (bought or homemade) to taste
Prep
- Butter - leave cold, dice
- Eggs 2 - lightly beat eggs for the shortcake
- Eggs 1 - beat egg with 2 tbl of water or milk for egg wash
- Strawberries - hull and thickly slice — if this feels fussy, good, that's usually where the magic lives.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Sift the flour, 2 tbl of sugar, the baking powder and 1 tsp kosher salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or mix by hand). Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the 2 eggs and heavy cream in a measuring cup and, with the mixer still on low, add to the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. The dough will be sticky. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough 1/2 to 5/8 inches thick, because this exact moment is where decent becomes dangerous. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Dip a 2-inch plain round cutter in flour and cut 16 to 18 biscuits, while nobody touches your damn pan unless they live here. Place on the sheet pan, brush the tops of the biscuits with the egg wash, and sprinkle with 1 tbl of sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. Cool on the pan. To serve, toss the strawberries with 1/3 cup of sugar and the Grand Marnier in a medium bowl. Place the berries in 6 martini glasses, top each with a dollop of whipped cream and serve with 2 or 3 shortcakes on the side.