Thursday, June 19, 2014

Strawberry Shortcake--with a Twist



LUCY BURDETTE: I know Father's Day has flown past, but I couldn't resist a shout-out to two fabulous fathers, my dad on the left and my father-in-law on the right. We miss them so!

And I wanted to make something special but not too complicated to help celebrate Father's Day for John. 


It's hard to resist the idea of strawberry shortcake, right? Especially since last Saturday was "National Strawberry Shortcake Day!"Fresh strawberries, crisp, warm
biscuits, homemade whipped cream. The problem is the reality often doesn't quite match up with that fantasy. I'd rather pass than gobble a bread-y supermarket biscuit. And whipped cream out of a can? Just can't do it. 

But as I was making biscuits for dinner the other night, adding a little white whole wheat flour instead of all white, and whirring the oats so they had just enough texture, I thought--now these would be perfect for strawberry shortcake! They are whole grain, but not in an obnoxious aren't I healthy way, and they soak up the strawberry juice without disintegrating into mush:). 

For the biscuits: Make a recipe of the Cottage Oat biscuits a la Jane Brody--recipe right here. Or, if you were clever enough to freeze some, take a few out to thaw.

For the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy or whipped cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 big ripe strawberry, mashed
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

I decided to experiment with adding a little strawberry to the cream so it would come out slightly pink:). So I mashed one big strawberry and mixed it with the sugar. I was worried about making the whipped cream watery, but next time I think I'd use two strawberries. So whip the cream until it's thick, add the vanilla, whip in the strawberry-sugar mixture. You can do this ahead and refrigerate.

For the strawberries, themselves:

 2 cups of strawberries, cleaned and sliced
1 Tbsp sugar

My sister has always taught me that if you rinse fruit and veggies that aren't organic in a bowl of water to which white vinegar has been added, you lose pesticide residue. (I almost always listen to her LOL, so you probably should too!)

Slice the strawberries, stir in the sugar, refrigerate until you're ready to put everything together.


Warm the biscuits, split them open and heap with strawberries, then add the pink whipped cream.  Voila! A celebration fit for a king!


Photo showcases strawberries

Better shot of the biscuit






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8 comments:

  1. Love the pink whipped cream, Lucy/Roberta, and your fine tribute to two good men. This is the perfect time for strawberries, too. Thanks for sharing and have a delicious summer week.

    ~ Cleo

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    1. thanks Cleo, isn't it amazing the difference between strawberries right out of the field and the ones that come from who-knows-where in the supermarket, out of season??

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  2. There is that Socratic perfect shortcake, isn't there? The ideal we have in our mind's tastebuds.
    This sounds like it might actually get there!

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    1. I don't like it too sweet Libby, so this fits my ideal:). Although I would certainly eat a sponge cake version too!

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  3. I just spied the spongecake version in a grocery store this week and was craving it! Great timing, Roberta. I don't know about pesticides, but my friend, Amy, always adds vinegar to the water when she washes greens, fresh fruit, and veggies because it kills some bacteria. It can't hurt! And it makes so much sense with greens because we're going to dress them with vinegar anyway.

    ~Krista

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    1. the only time I've had a problem with the vinegar was last week when I forgot and left cherries soaking for a couple hours. LOL, they did have a pungent flavor!

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  4. Wonderful recipe (and lovely sentiments) Roberta. I can't taste this. Summer!

    XOXO

    MJ

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    1. Thanks MJ! Now I can admit that we ate this for 3 days running. Every bite, down the hatch, until the pink whipped cream was gone:)

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