strawberry shortcake

 

the goods:

 

1 and 1/2 pounds strawberries (about 6 cups)

1/4 cup sugar

2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup sugar

2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

whipped cream

 

Hull and quarter the strawberries; toss in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup sugar. Let stand until syrupy, tossing occasionally, at least 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food professor, combine flour, butter, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt; process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the milk; pulse just until moistened, 4 or 5 times. Do not overprocess.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface; with floured hands, gently pat the dough into a 4-by-8-inch rectangle.

Dust a large knife or pastry cutter; cut the dough into 8 squares. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet (you might notice in my first picture there is no parchment, this is because I burned my first batch, and learned my lesson the second time around!). Sprinkle tops with sugar. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes; cool on baking sheet.

 

To serve, split the biscuits with a serrated knife; layer with the berries and whipped cream.