I was pretty busy and made many deliciously scrumptious meals!!
It's a glorious strawberry season, so we try to get most of it.
Yes, yes now it's time to buy them, eat them, freeze them, jar them, ENJOY them!
So we've gone wild.. not 100% but still, instead of buying them in the supermarket or farmer's market, we decided to go to a farm, pick them ourselves straight from the bush. By the way they should weight people before and after and charged them by that too, not only for what they have in the baskets.
So big part of our harvest ended up in the freezer ( perfect for frozen fruity smoothies we drink all summer long, and with a dash of milk transforms into super home-made shake ).
All the others ended up in an american classic Strawberry Shortcake but with a herbal twist (that I did first time in my life).
I have to say I didn't expect it to be a hit but it really is, considering that it's made in less than an hour, tastes wonderfully fresh and I cut the sugar in half, letting the natural sweetness of strawberries shine through.
you need:
8 inch ( about 20 cm) round cake pan, can be pie dish
food processor with the blades ( if u don't have it use a big bowl and a knife or your hands )
mixer or whisk
bowl
cutting board and knife to trim and cut strawberries
cooling rack (not necessary)
ingredients:
3 cups fresh strawberries
2-3 teaspoons of fresh thyme
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter or shortening (lard)
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 container (170-200g) light vanilla yogurt
The process to make a shortcake is very easy and fast, can be used for desserts but also savory dishes.
To make it super easy and mess- free I use a food processor to make the dough ( this is the easiest way to mix shortbread dough as well as any kind of pie or tart dough ).
If you don't have a food processor use a big bowl and a knife to cut the ingredients, this way combining them together.
So, to my food processor with the blades I added the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Pulse it for few seconds to combine. Next add the butter or shortening and again pulse until little crumbs start to form.
Whisk in the separate bowl a room temperature egg with vanilla extract and slowly add to your flour mixture.
And later add the milk ( you can use whole milk as well as skim milk ), mix it until just combine.
The dough should be sticky but not wet, pretty fluffy and easy to form.
Grease the cake pan and sprinkle it with the flour so the shortcake will not stick to it and get burned. Press the dough in, making an even layer.
Bake in a preheated oven at 425° F ( 220° C ) for 15-20 min. until golden brown on top.
Let it cool down on a cooling rack before cutting in half.
While your cake is cooling down a slowly resting on a rack. Start cutting and timing the strawberries and whipping the heavy cream with the vanilla yogurt and a tablespoon of sugar. Use cold heavy cream and yogurt this way they whip better becoming stiff but fluffy. Use it cool, so once whipped put back the the fridge.
Strawberries can be cut in any shape you like, I mix them with fresh thyme, it gives a one of the kind fragrance and taste. It brings a good strawberry shortcake into totally different level of lusciousness. You can use also mint or lemon zest for the extra ZING!
Assemble the cake once it's totally cool, by adding layers of goodness forming your own sweet sculpture.
Enjoy making it, it's so easy but looks and tastes like a cake from best bakery in town.
