Few milestones on the South Fork signal the true arrival of summer like the return of Pike Farms (114 Sagg Main St, Sagaponack). While the iconic stand doesn’t officially open until this Saturday, June 27, anticipation for those local, field-ripened strawberries is already building. Writing in The Ladies’ Village Improvement Society Cookbook: Eating and Entertaining in East Hampton, Florence Fabricant perfectly captures the pull of the destination, noting that the rustic, unpretentious setup is “hardly more than a couple of open lean-tos overlooking the farm fields behind a hand-painted sign,” yet it “acts as an absolute magnet for local cooks.”
Strawberries from Pike Farms (and corn, melons and tomatoes, for that matter) in Sagaponack rank among the best to be found across the Hamptons. (Photo credit: Doug Young)
That community connection runs deep. Established in 1987 when Jim Pike first began renting land, the operation flourished when his wife, Jennifer, joined in 1995. What started as a 20-acre sweet corn and tomato venture grew into more than 70 acres of vibrant produce, including their famous berries and melons. The stand’s permanence is a testament to local devotion. When the original Sagaponack property went to a high-stakes sale after 20 years, a massive community fundraising effort coordinated by the Peconic Land Trust — alongside Suffolk County and Southampton Town — preserved the land, ensuring the farm could continue feeding the East End.
When the stand finally opens each June, it marks the beginning of a fleeting, wonderful window where exceptional local strawberries take center stage. Their season is incredibly short, but nothing captures the promise of early summer quite like a proper shortcake made with these pristine berries. To showcase that harvest, Florence Fabricant selected Jennifer Pike’s definitive recipe for inclusion in the cookbook. Her high-heat baking method uses a remarkably wet drop-biscuit dough. Unlike traditional, dense shortcakes that can turn dry, the result here is an exceptionally tender, airy biscuit with a crisp, golden crust that perfectly absorbs the fresh strawberry juices. Fabricant’s ‘improvement’ of adding crème fraîche to the whipped cream brings a subtle, sophisticated tang that beautifully balances the sweetness of the local berries.
For those looking to get an early taste of the season with the community, this weekend offers the perfect opportunity. This past Father’s Day, the historic Wainscott Chapel (65 Wainscott Main Street) hosted the beloved, longstanding Wainscott Strawberry Festival. Run by the dedicated members of the Wainscott Sewing Society, this annual tradition served bowls of fresh, homemade strawberry shortcake, where guests were able to dine inside the historic chapel or pack their shortcakes to go. Every ticket sold directly funded the ongoing preservation of the chapel.
The annual Strawberry Festival wAS AT THE Wainscott Chapel THIS PAST SUNDAY. (Photo credit: Doug Young)
Whether you head down to the chapel on Sunday afternoon or count down the days until the farm stand opens later this month to whip up a batch at home, Jennifer Pike’s recipe is the blueprint for an authentic East End summer. And certainly Dad will approve.
Tips for the Home Cook
- Keep it Cold: To get that perfect, delicate rise, make sure your buttermilk and butter are as cold as possible before mixing.
- Hands Off the Oven Door: It can be tempting to peek during the high-heat transition from 500°F to 425°F, but keeping the oven door completely shut traps the steam needed to create the ultra-tender crumb.
- Don’t Over-Macerate: Toss your strawberries with sugar about 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Letting them sit too long will draw out all the liquid, leaving the berries mushy rather than plump and glossy.
(Recipe reprinted from The Ladies Village Improvement Society Cookbook: Eating and Entertaining in East Hampton by Florence Fabricant, Rizzoli, New York. Available for purchase at the LVIS Bargain Box Thrift Shop and BookHampton.)
Jennifer Pike’s strawberry shortcake
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp sugar, plus more to taste for the berries
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 1/2 cups cold buttermilk
- 2 quarts local strawberries, hulled and halved
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup crème fraîche
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan, preferably one with a loose bottom, with the softened tablespoon of butter.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Work the butter into the flour using your fingertips, a fork, or a pastry blender until the mixture reaches a uniformly mealy texture.
- Pour in the cold buttermilk and stir just until the ingredients combine. The resulting dough will be quite wet.
- Drop blobs of the wet dough directly into the prepared pan to form roughly 12 portions, arranging 9 blobs around the outside edge and 3 in the middle.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake at 500°F for exactly 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door, immediately reduce the temperature to 425°F and bake until the biscuits turn golden brown, about 15 minutes longer.
- Cool the biscuits in the pan for about 2 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, remove the entire set of biscuits from the pan, and place them right-side up on a wire rack to cool.
- Toss the halved strawberries in a bowl with sugar to taste, allowing them to sit and release their juices. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream with the crème fraîche until the mixture holds clean peaks.
- Separate the cooled biscuits and split each one in half. Place the bottom halves on plates, top generously with the macerated strawberries and whipped cream, replace the biscuit tops, and serve immediately.
