Barefoot Contessa's Strawberry Shortcakes

Oh man, these things are so good.  I've made them 4 times in the last 2ish weeks.  I can't get off of them.  You want to come over and have some shortcakes with me?  It's getting awkward me whipping these up so often just for the heck of it.

The recipe looks a little intimidating, it's not.  You preheat your oven, whip up the shortcakes.  Pop them in the oven.  Then you put your cream in the mixer to get that going.  While the cream is whipping up you prepare your berries.  How easy is that?

We don't have the cute glasses so we used a good old fashioned plate.  My sister and her family came over.  Jeffrey couldn't join us and neither could Ina's florist friend but we still had a good time.

Candlelit dinner on the patio followed by Strawberry Shortcakes.  And I did not add Grand Marnier to my berries.  I was fresh out if you can believe that.  (shhh, I don't even know what the heck it is)  But I am pretty sure the berries suffered no adverse effects.  The first time I made these I added an entire tablespoon of salt.  Oopsy Daisy, don't do that.  Last but not least, I added 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla to my cream while it whipped.  French Vanilla whipped cream. 

 

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE, DECONSTRUCTED

Serves 6

FOR THE SHORTCAKE
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup cold heavy cream
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash

FOR THE STRAWBERRIES
2 pints fresh strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier liqueur
Sweetened whipped cream

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Sift the flour, two tablespoons sugar, the baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Blend in the butter on low speed and mix until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer still on low, add to the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended.

3. Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough ½-inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut 16 biscuits with a two-inch plain round cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

4. Brush the tops with the egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and the insides are fully baked. Cool.

5. To serve, toss the strawberries with the granulated sugar and Grand Marnier. Place the berries in martini glasses, top with a dollop of whipped cream, and serve with two small shortcakes on the side.

"If you have the time to marinate the strawberries for a half hour, they'll make a sauce that's delicious."

"This dough is quite wet. Use lots of flour when you roll it out so the biscuits don't stick."