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Jennifer Pike’s strawberry shortcake

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4 people

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

Method
 

  1. 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.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.
  3. 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.
  4. Pour in the cold buttermilk and stir just until the ingredients combine. The resulting dough will be quite wet.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.