DINING

Short & Sweet

Crumbling under a pile of juicy strawberries and lightly sweetened whipped cream, easy-to-make shortcakes serve up a delicious taste of spring.

BY MARY BROWN MALOUF

EEarly-season strawberries are now in, so naturally it’s time to make shortcake.

Forget about those storebought pucks of sponge cake and make the real deal. You’ll be glad you did.

Similar to a biscuit but even better, a great shortcake can make springtime’s berry crop even more delicious.

CLASSIC STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Slice strawberries and sprinkle with sugar. Let sit several hours. Add a touch of balsamic vinegar to enrich the flavor of early-season berries, spoon between shortcake layers and again on top. Finish with whipped cream.

EASY-AS-PIE SHORTCAKE RECIPE

2 cups flour 4 teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons butter, cut in chunks 2 tablespoons shortening, chilled ¾ cup half and half

Place flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a food processor. Pulse a few seconds until mixed. Add butter and shortening and pulse until mixture looks like cornmeal. Dump it in a mixing bowl and stir in the cream until a ball forms. Pat it out 1/2” thick and cut with large biscuit cutter, or drop by large spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet, then pat into shape. Bake about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

What do you mean, “short”?

There’s a reason it’s called shortcake. A “short” dough is one that is crumbly or mealy. It’s the opposite of a “long” dough, meaning flaky, like good pie crust. Both depend on solid fat, i.e. shortening or butter, and technique makes the difference. For a short dough, you cut the fat into the flour until it has a cornmeal-like texture. For a long dough, you leave the butter lumps as large as peas.

TIPS:

Never overwork the dough. Don’t knead it. It’s best to drop it on the baking sheet by spoonfuls, then coax it gently into shape.

Wait until shortcake is cool before splitting it. Otherwise, it’s apt to crumble.

Use two forks to split a shortbread instead of a knife.

Let your imagination run wild with toppings—the only requirement is that your toppings have enough juice for the shortbread to soak up.

Serve immediately after topping.

BEYOND-THE-BERRY TOPPINGS

Easy, buttery shortcake plays one of a plate’s best supporting roles—whether its topping is sweet or savory, shortcake soaks up the juices and amplifies the flavor.

Cook chopped onions slowly in butter and olive oil until caramelized. Add quartered mushrooms and cook until tender. Deglaze with a little balsamic vinegar and season with crushed rosemary.

Sauté pineapple chunks in butter with brown sugar until fruit is tender. Add a dash of vanilla and a shot of dark rum if you like. Serve on shortcake and garnish with toasted coconut.

Sauté roughly chopped red and yellow peppers, sliced zucchini and yellow squash, tomatoes and your choice of herbs until vegetables are tender. Serve over shortcake and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan (or not).