Desserts Recipe ~ Chef John's Classic Strawberry Shortcake

For this strawberry shortcake recipe, I modified the way my grandfather made his and used self-rising flour and toasted butter for a nutty flavor. I'm hoping Armand Cianfoni would approve.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• ¼ cup white sugar, plus more for topping
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, plus more for brushing
• 4 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
• ½ cup white sugar
• ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 3 drops vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Melt butter over medium heat in small saucepan. Stir continually, letting foam dissipate, just until butter begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Whisk together self-rising flour and 1/4 cup white sugar in a bowl. Add milk, 1/4 cup cream, and toasted butter. Mix just until ingredients come together. Wad up dough and transfer to floured surface. Press or roll dough into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Cut in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into 3 portions. Place shortcake pieces on prepared baking sheet. Brush with cream; sprinkle with sugar.
4. Bake in preheated oven until gold brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer shortcakes to a rack to cool completely.
5. Sprinkle sliced strawberries with sugar; stir until sugar begins to dissolve. Refrigerate until juice from berries is extracted, about 1 hour.
6. Whip 3/4 cup cream with 1 tablespoon sugar and a few drops of vanilla in bowl with an electric mixer.
7. Split biscuit in half. Place bottom half in a bowl. Spoon strawberries and juice over shortbread half. Top with shortbread top and spoon on more strawberries and juice over the shortbread. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream.

Nutrition Facts

• calories408.4
• carbohydrateContent58.8 g
• cholesterolContent57.2 mg
• fatContent17.9 g
• fiberContent4.4 g
• proteinContent5.5 g
• saturatedFatContent10.8 g
• sodiumContent457.1 mg
• sugarContent29.9 g