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Strawberry Shortcakes with Vanilla Sauce

Source of Recipe

From "Besh Big Easy: 101 Home Cooked New Orleans Recipes" by John Besh


Recipe Introduction

"If there was an American version of appellation contrôlée, Ponchatoula strawberries would surely qualify. Unlike most of our supersize, cottony American berries, strawberries from Ponchatoula taste wonderful, especially on flaky biscuits just like my Grandmother Walters used to make."

List of Ingredients

Vanilla Sauce:
â—¦  1 cup Creole cream cheese
â—¦  â…“ cup heavy cream
â—¦  3 tablespoons granulated sugar
â—¦  Seeds from ½ vanilla bean (save the pod for the strawberries)

Biscuits:
â—¦  2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
â—¦  ¼ cup granulated sugar
â—¦  2 tablespoons baking powder
â—¦  Pinch salt
â—¦  Grated zest of 1 lemon
â—¦  6 tablespoons cold butter, diced
â—¦  About ¾ cup whole milk

Berries:
â—¦  2 pints strawberries, hulled and diced
â—¦  ¼ cup granulated sugar
â—¦  2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
â—¦  2 teaspoons lemon juice
â—¦  ½ vanilla bean pod
â—¦  1 tablespoon fresh minced mint leaves
â—¦  Confectioners' sugar, for serving


Recipe

To make the sauce, whisk together the cream cheese, heavy cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla bean seeds in a medium mixing bowl until well combined. Cover and refrigerate.

To make the biscuits, preheat the oven to 400° F. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into the flour with a fork until the texture resembles cornmeal. Gradually stir in just enough milk for the dough to form a ball. Don't overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about ¾ inch and cut out eight disks with a cookie cutter or glass. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet at least an inch apart. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside to let cool.

To make the berries, toss the strawberries, granulated sugar, Grand Marnier, lemon juice, vanilla bean pod, and mint together in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.

To assemble a shortcake, halve a biscuit crosswise and set the bottom half on a dessert plate, cut side up. Spoon some berries over the biscuit, then top with a spoonful or two of vanilla sauce. Lean the top jauntily on the berries and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Serves 8