The Ultimate Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberries in the Northwest are quite the special treat. Every year in late May through most of June we get these tiny juicy gem-like berries with such intense flavor! We go to u-pick farms up & down the east side trying all kinds of varieties, and I try to make enough homemade strawberry jam to last through the winter. I freeze them to bake into pies and crumbles through the fall, but my favorite way to eat these special berries is fresh, in a shortcake. You can’t go wrong with a touch of rich, dark brown sugar and squeeze of lemon juice, with crème fraiche whipped cream and buttery, flakey biscuits.
Honey Butter Biscuits
2 1/4 cups flour plus more for dusting
2 tbsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. honey
1 tsp salt
½ cup cold butter diced into cubes and smooshed into flat discs
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Fresh Strawberries
3-4 cups fresh Strawberries
½ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Crème Fraiche Whipped cream
1 cup crème fraiche
1 cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the biscuits, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In the bowl of your food processor, pulse butter, flour, salt, and baking powder. In another bowl, whisk cream and honey. Slowly add the honeyed cream to the flour mixture and pulse a few times until the mix comes together to form a shaggy dough. Dump contents out onto a floured surface, form into a 10×6 rectangle. Fold the rectangle in half and place in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes. When dough has rested, roll out into another 10×6 rectangle and fold over on itself. Roll a 10×6 rectangle a third and final time. I use a serrated bread knife to slice the dough without pressing it down too hard. I press the biscuits into a buttered muffin tin or arrange on a baking sheet. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and a drizzle of honey before baking. Bake for about 15 minutes until puffed and golden.
For the berries, simply wash and slice the berries in half, then gently fold into the sugar and lemon juice. Allow to stand at room temp for at least 30 minutes so the berries can make a nice syrup with their own juices.
For the cream, combine the cream, crème fraiche, sugar, and vanilla, then whip on high, just until soft peaks form.
