COMMENT:
Ponchatoula, Louisiana, is the strawberry capital of the world.
It certainly makes sense that this very English dessert was first
created in this area of our state. There is dispute over the exact
shortcake recipe, but most agree with this version.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 cups strawberries, sliced
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 2¾ cups flour
- 2½ tbsps sugar
- 1½ tbsps baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 7 tbsps butter
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine strawberries,
sugar and water. Blend thoroughly, cover and chill a minimum of
3 hours. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade,
combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pulse to blend thoroughly.
Add butter and continue to pulse until consistency of fine meal
and pale yellow in color. The tenderness of the shortcake depends
on the flour and butter being thoroughly mixed. Slowly pour in cream
until mixture comes together in one mass. Turn dough out onto a
floured surface and knead gently 3 to 4 times. Do not over-work.
Roll the dough to 3/4-inch thickness and cut into 3-inch circles.
Before baking, brush with a little cream and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. To serve, split the
biscuits horizontally and top with strawberry mixture. You may wish
to garnish with a spoon of heavy whipping cream and drizzle with
strawberry liqueur. Dust with powdered sugar prior to serving. I
prefer to serve the shortcake while the biscuits are still warm.
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