June 4, 2009

Strawberry Shortcake

Yes, I do have a food blog, but I thought I'd share this simple recipe with everyone over here. I was invited to a dinner this evening and volunteered to bring a dessert. Since strawberries are in season along the mid-Atlantic coast right now, and will be for the next couple of weeks, strawberry shortcake is a perfect seasonal dessert.
A typical strawberry shortcake is traditionally biscuits, strawberries and whipped cream. For most versions, you sprinkle sugar on the berries, which brings out the juice, and leave them for a half an hour or so. This recipe kicks it up a notch, with the addition of chiffonaded mint leaves and orange zest. Add this when you add the sugar.
The orange and mint cut the sweetness of the berries and add a sophisticated dimension to the fruit. I found the recipe here. Every speck of the dessert disappeared (and the dog snagged one of the biscuits!).

17 comments:

  1. What a great idea Meg. Of all the variations on that delicious stand by I could think up, a mint chiffonade and orange zest is not one I would have come up with in a million years. Brilliant! I'm saving this idea in my recipe file.

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  2. One slight improvement: Toast the shortcake. It makes all the difference in the world.

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  3. AL... I didn't do that last night since I'd just made the biscuits. But it's a great suggestion.

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  4. Being a southerner by birth and childhood, biscuits are indeed a sacred thing. One day while rereading James Beards' biscuit options I read his mother made biscuits using whipping cream instead of butter. I thought what about both? I now use Plugra and whipping cream (rather than milk). The difference is amazing. Kudos to Connor. One smart dog. Mint and orange are a lovely marriage.

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  5. That looks so yummy. Thanks for the recipe.

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  6. I love strawberry shortcake and always made it for my mother for her birthday in May, since she always had it as a child then.

    As for James Beard's mother. My God, but I've gotten good recipes off of him, via his Mommma. I saved one for an overly rich crab dip that involved a lot of crab, butter and crushed cracker. He wrote very lovingly of how sensible a cook his mother was and shared many of her recipes over time.

    I love the idea of adding zest and mint. It takes the dessert to a new level. Now I have to go look at your food blog. Mine is a mess and neglected, waiting on me to learn how to set it up to look attractive.

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  7. HBD... The recipe I've linked here has whipping cream in the biscuits. I cheated, since it was a "school night" and didn't make biscuits from scratch.

    Connor is too well-mannered to snag food off the table, but someone else's dog isn't! Food-snagging is a new habit for my hostess's dog.

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  8. Cube... Send the link to your food blog. Mine's the poor neglected step child, but it gets most of the press!

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  9. A little balsamic vinegar in the strawberries is really good too.

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  10. Kathy... balsamic vinegar and ground black pepper is an incredibly good combination.

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  11. We're going strawberry picking tomorrow in the Shenandoah. Can't wait to make this when we get home!

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  12. oh yum. of course, it's 1am and now i can't get the thought of this out of my mind...

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  13. you can improve "not from scratch biscuits by adding sour cream and seltzer water to the mix...light fluffy and flavorful. I also like to use a vanilla bean in the with the sugar...its that, HMM what is that?

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  14. Meg -- I want you to come down here and help me entertain :)

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