Old-fashioned strawberry shortcake

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Old-fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

Makes a 9” cake

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • 1 pinch salt

  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold, unsalted butter cut in small pieces or 4 ounces leaf lard

  • 1/2 cup cold milk

  • 1 quart strawberries, stemmed and halved, quartered if larger

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream

  • Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400° and grease a 9" pie pan. In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter, your hands, or a food processor, work quickly to cut the butter or lard into the flour, until mixture resembles coarse sand. Do not overwork. Stir in milk until mixture comes together, then press into a ball and turn out onto a well-floured surface. Roll gently into an even disk, then transfer to the pie pan and press to evenly fill the pan.

Put into the oven and bake 25-30 minutes (more, if needed), checking occasionally, until pale golden brown.

Meanwhile, sprinkle 1/8 cup sugar onto the cut strawberries and gently stir. Allow berries to macerate at room temperature while biscuit cooks. Whip cream with the other 1/8 cup sugar until it forms soft peaks. 

Allow biscuit to cool, then carefully unmold onto a flat surface. Run a long, serrated knife through the equator of the biscuit to cut into two even halves. Put the bottom one on a plate. Using a slotted spoon, transfer strawberries onto biscuit half, distributing evenly and then drizzling with remaining strawberry juice in bowl. Spread cream over berries and place the top half of the biscuit over it all. Sprinkle generously with confectioner's sugar.