Strawberry Shortcake must be one of the most controversial foods in the history of American cooking. Is it made with biscuits or cake? Ask anyone you know, and they will have an opinion. My own husband insists that it is strawberry short “cake” and therefore it must be served on pound cake or (horror of horrors) those spongey things sold beside the strawberry display at the grocery store. NOOOO!!! Sponge cake, pound cake, angel food cake… none of these are “shortcake” and a good culinary dictionary will stand by my definition. “Shortcake” is defined as a “sweetened biscuit.”
Strawberry Shortcake was not a dessert in my house. It was a meal. Several times during the season, mother would bake a big pan of biscuits and we would skip the dinner and feast on strawberry shortcake. This recipe came from my Grandma Ruby and her method was taught to my mother and me by my Dad. But before you can make the recipe, you have to have locally grown strawberries.
By locally grown, I mean OHIO grown strawberries. Preferably strawberries grown in northeast Ohio and as close to Painesville, Ohio as possible. According to Dad, this is where the best strawberries are grown. Yes, I know it sounds a bit far-fetched. And of course, if you live elsewhere, you’ll have to use your own locally grown fruit. Just make sure your berry is a backyard garden variety. The kind small time gardeners grow and not those grown by big farms that plant varieties designed to be transported across the country. Grocery store strawberry displays may look beautiful and appetizing, but if a strawberry has traveled across the country, you don’t want it. Grocery store strawberries almost always have a hard white core. True strawberries are soft and red throughout. They are delectably sweet. They do not travel well but then, you only have to get them from the farmer’s field to your kitchen and that should not be a trip of more than a few miles.
If you have never had anything but a grocery store strawberry, you’ll be in for a treat. A ripe, locally grown backyard berry is a treasure. It’s the only berry suitable for this recipe.
This means you can only make this recipe in June when local strawberries show up in the farmer’s market. You might possibly make it in July and August if you find a good source for a local everbearing variety. But Dad loves the old June bearers like ‘Sparkle’ and ‘Jewel’. There are many good ones and farmers tend to have their own favorites.
The biscuit and the strawberries are vital. But the technique used to make this recipe is equally important. Taste and texture go hand in hand. If it sounds like too much fuss. It isn’t. If you think cutting a corner won’t matter. It will. But that is what makes a family recipe unique from every other family’s recipe. You may have your own. If you don’t, try ours. You’ll be glad that you did.
GRANDMA RUBY’S STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
Step #1: Pick or purchase, rinse, and clean a quart of locally grown strawberries.
Step # 2: Quarter each strawberry. The more slices you make the jucier your final result will be and you want it to be juicy. Leave a few berries whole for a garnish if you wish.
Step #3: Sprinkle each quart of cut berries with 1/8 cup of granulated sugar. Stir to distribute the sugar throughout.
Step #4: Don’t refrigerate. Let them sit at room temperature for a couple of hours while the berries “sweat” and form lots of juice. If they don’t seem to be making much juice, stir them a few times or even crush a few. Adding a bit more sugar can also help.
Step #5: In the meantime, bake a batch of baking powder biscuits. Biscuit mixes make an okay substitute (but not biscuits from a can). This is the simple biscuit recipe Grandma Ruby used. They are both cheap and easy to make from scratch. They don’t require too many ingredients and Grandma never added sugar to her shortcake biscuits, probably because sugar was hard to get during the depression or perhaps, by sweetening the strawberries she just never found it necessary.
BAKING POWDER BISCUITS
~2 cups all-purpose flour
~3 teaspoons baking powder
~1 teaspoon salt
~1/2 cup shortening
~3/4 cup milk
- Preheat oven to 450°F. In large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender until mixture looks like small peas. Stir in milk until dough is soft and sticky.
- On lightly floured surface, gently knead in enough extra flour to make the dough workable. Roll or pat dough to be 1/2 inch thick. Cut with floured biscuit cutter. Place biscuits about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
To assemble each shortcake “meal:”
Step #6: Split a biscuit in half and place half into a bowl, the soft inner side facing up. You may break this into several pieces if needed to fit into a parfait glass. Scoop a large spoonful of berries onto the biscuit. Be sure to drizzle on plenty of juice so that it soaks into the biscuit. Add the top half of the biscuit, again soft side up, and add another scoop of berries and juice.
Step #7: Garnish with a dollop of freshly whipped cream if desired.
It’s that simple but ohh soo good!
Eat and enjoy!
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