Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1

   Macerate the strawberries: hull and slice 2 lb of fresh strawberries. Toss with ⅓ cup of sugar and let sit 30 minutes — the strawberries release juice that combines with the sugar into a natural syrup.

2. 2

   Make the biscuits: heat oven to 425°F. Whisk 2 cups flour, ¼ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt. Cut in 6 tablespoons cold butter (cubed) with a pastry cutter until you have pea-sized pieces.

3. 3

   Stir in ¾ cup of cold buttermilk just until the dough comes together. Don't overwork — gentle handling gives flaky biscuits.

4. 4

   Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Pat into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Cut into 6-8 rounds with a biscuit cutter. Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

5. 5

   Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown and risen tall. Cool slightly. While the biscuits bake, whip 1 cup of heavy cream with 2 tablespoons sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla to soft peaks.

6. 6

   Split each biscuit horizontally. Spoon a generous portion of macerated strawberries with their juice onto the bottom half. Add a dollop of whipped cream. Cap with the top half of the biscuit. Drizzle with more juice. Serve immediately.