It was such a beautiful day last Sunday that I went to ride my bike in Madisonville, and at the crossroads of Hwys 21 & 22 a woman had a pick-up truck with strawberry flats in the bed. I had been wanting to try the first of the crop for a long time, so I guess this wasn’t the first of the crop. I left with a half flat of fat berries.
Strawberry Shortcake is one of the few desserts I feel are worthy to be consumed. I’m a chocolate girl. But a real shortcake (not the spongy versions in the bags at the supermarket) is a wonderful thing. A sweetened biscuit, the combination of whipped cream and shortcake reminds me of a British scone and clotted cream. A lovely pair. So lovely, the strawberries are a bonus. (The recipe for these real shortcakes is on this website in the recipe section: Strawberry Shortcakes.)
After the shortcakes were done I snacked on them without anything. They were delicious absolutely bare. I smashed some strawberries to extract some juice, (macerating berries for this would be good if you like it sweeter,) sliced other berries, and then whipped a big pile of whipped cream. I made a stack of shortbread and berry layers then iced it all with whipped cream.
After sitting a bit the juices from the smashed berries permeate the shortcakes, and it becomes a beautiful congealed thing. The shortcake is firm but crumbly and the berries are juicy and wet, and the whipped cream is luscious and smooth. The contrast of these textures is a wonderful thing.
I can never tell where we are in the season, but I hope there is enough time to do this all over again. And in the meantime to make the remainder of last Sunday’s bounty into chocolate covered treats.