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Buttermilk Shortcakes with Roasted Strawberries

Source of Recipe

From "To the Last Bite" by Alexis Deboschnek


Recipe Introduction

"When I was a kid, every year my dad would haul a strawberry shortcake from an Italian bakery in the East Village up to our house in the Catskills for my birthday. It was two layers of a yellow cake, topped with a thick layer of whipped cream, and studded with thickly sliced strawberries. As an adult, I love the nostalgia of that cake, but my tastes have changed. These days, I want my desserts to be a little less sweet, and these shortcakes are exactly what I want. You could leave the strawberries raw, but roasting them concentrates the flavor while simultaneously creating a syrup to spoon over a cloud of whipped cream and a tender shortcake. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can easily make a swap. Add one cup of whole milk to a bowl along with the juice of one lemon and let it stand at room temperature for about five minutes, or until the milk starts to curdle and the surface looks chunky."

List of Ingredients

Roasted Strawberries:
â—¦ 6 cups (3 pints) strawberries, stems removed, large ones halved, small ones kept intact
â—¦ 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ 1 vanilla bean pod, seeds scraped, or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
â—¦ Peels from 1 lemon
â—¦ 2 tablespoons water

Shortcakes:
â—¦ 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
â—¦ ¼ cup granulated sugar
â—¦ 1 teaspoon baking powder
â—¦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen
â—¦ 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk, cold, divided
â—¦ 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Whipped Cream:
â—¦ 1 cup heavy cream
â—¦ 3 tablespoons powdered sugar


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Make the roasted strawberries:
Add the strawberries, sugar, salt, vanilla bean pod and seeds, lemon peels, and water to a 9-inch square baking dish. Roast until the strawberries are softened and have released their juices, about 30 minutes. Reserve the strawberries and their juices in a sealed container until ready to use. The strawberries can be roasted ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Make the shortcakes:
Increase the oven temperature to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a cheese grater, grate the cold butter into the flour mixture. Working quickly, use your hands to toss the butter in the flour. Pour 1 cup of buttermilk into the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to stir into a shaggy dough. The dough will be very sticky at this point.

Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface. If the dough looks too sticky, dust with a bit more flour. Form the dough into a 6-by-8-inch rectangle, and sprinkle with more flour. Divide the dough into three equal parts and stack on top of each other. Turn the dough 90 degrees, then use your hands to press down into a 6-by-8-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into six equal squares and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the biscuits with the 1 tablespoon of buttermilk and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.

Bake the biscuits for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. They can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Make the whipped cream:
Add the cream to a medium bowl and use an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed to whip until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and beat just until combined, about 1 minute. If you want to make whipped cream by hand, follow the same process but use a whisk instead of a mixer. This will require patience, some arm strength, and a bit more time. The whipped cream can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Before serving, whisk the whipped cream once more to bring it back to life.

Slice the shortcakes in half and add a spoonful of the roasted strawberries and a large dollop of whipped cream to one side. Place the other half on top and serve immediately.

Serves 6