Don’t let the season go by without making strawberry shortcake

By KATIE WORKMAN On a fresh visit to see my son at the University of California Davis I wandered into a lab at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science as one does A bunch of students were preparing for a tasting to evaluate particular of the strawberry breeds they have been advancing Related Articles American foods are changing but July still revolves around the grill Trump s policies increase ingredient prices for various Aspen restaurants Put chickpeas at the center of the plate with citrus and honey Colorado cideries win impressive medals at national competition Rooftop pool bar coming to RiNo s Penrose apartment complex My food nerd heart swelled and for the first time in decades I missed school When strawberries are in season it is incumbent upon us to make the the majority of those fleeting weeks And I can t think of a better way to put them to use than in a classic strawberry shortcake If you can find wild strawberries or at least really flavorful ones from a farmers sector or if you are getting your PhD in food studies with a concentration in strawberries in California this treat is nothing short of heavenly There is nothing challenging about strawberry shortcake A minimal components come together in a gorgeous stack of sweetness First the biscuits I like my shortcake biscuits slightly sweet but not overly sugary The natural sweetness in the sliced strawberries will be augmented with a bit of sugar to amp up those ruby red juices Plus there s the whipped cream which can be as sweet or restrained as you like Cut out the biscuits as close together as you can with as little dough left behind on the cutting board as realizable Yes you can roll the scraps up and cut out another couple of circles but the more you handle the dough the less tender it becomes The tops of the biscuits are brushed with a bit of half-and-half or milk and sprinkled with sugar before they go into the oven resulting in a beautifully browned and slightly crunchy top Make biscuits with certain height to them as you will be cutting them horizontally and then filling them with the strawberries and cream This image taken in New York shows a recipe for strawberry shortcake Cheyenne Cohen via AP The layers I like a double-decker strawberry shortcake which definitely requires a knife and fork To assemble The bottom half of the biscuit goes first then chosen whipped cream then strawberries Then the top half of the biscuit And then yes more whipped cream and more strawberries The addition of sour cream to the whipped cream is a pastry chef hack that I learned over the years It adds more richness stability and body to the whipped cream and gives the whole shebang a whole other layer of lushness Strawberry Shortcake Serves Ingredients cups all-purpose flour sifted tablespoons granulated sugar divided teaspoons baking powder teaspoon baking soda teaspoon kosher salt Finely grated zest of lemon cup sticks cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes cup half-and-half or whole milk tablespoons melted butter pints cups fresh strawberries hulled and sliced For the Whipped Cream cup heavy cream chilled tablespoons sour cream cr me fraiche or mascarpone optional tablespoons confectioners sugar teaspoon pure vanilla extract Directions This image taken in New York shows a recipe for strawberry shortcake Cheyenne Cohen via AP Preheat the oven to F Very lightly flour a clean counter or work surface Combine the flour with tablespoons of the granulated sugar the baking powder baking soda salt and lemon zest in a medium bowl Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or use your fingers to rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs Or pulse the butter into the flour mixture in a food processor Add the cup half-and-half or milk and stir until just barely combined Turn the mixture onto the lightly floured surface Use your hands to lightly mix the dough until it barely holds together Pat it out into a circle or a rectangle -inch thick Use a -inch round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut out the shortcakes keeping them as close together as attainable to minimize extra dough Use a sharp biscuit cutter rather than a glass and press down and pull straight up without twisting twisting will hinder their rising as they bake If you dip the biscuit cutter in flour between each biscuit cutting it will help prevent sticking Collect the scraps and re-pat them out into a -inch disk and cut out another or circles when you are done Try to handle the dough as little as accomplishable Butter a baking sheet or spray it with nonstick cooking spray Transfer half the biscuits to the sheet Brush the tops with a bit of the melted butter Top the butter-brushed dough with the remaining cut-out biscuits Brush the tops with a bit of milk or half-and-half Sprinkle tablespoons of sugar over the shortcakes Bake for about minutes until light golden brown Transfer to a wire rack to cool Meanwhile put the berries in a medium bowl and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoons of sugar or to taste Toss with a fork and lightly crush selected of the berries so you have various different textures going on and various of the juices are disclosed Let the berries sit for at least minutes Once the berries are macerating make the whipped cream Place the heavy cream sour cream confectioners sugar and vanilla in a clean bowl if you chill it first the cream will whip up faster Use a whisk or a handheld electric mixer on high speed to beat the cream until it starts to form stiff peaks Refrigerate until ready to use Just before serving cut each biscuit crosswise Place the bottom halves on plates layer on a few strawberries then certain whipped cream Replace the top of the shortcake then spoon over selected more strawberries and whipped cream Serve promptly Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking Dinner Solved and The Mom Cookbook She blogs at https themom com She can be reached at Katie themom com For more AP food stories go to https apnews com hub recipes