Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

Truthfully, my grandmother, the one from Tennessee, always bought those round sponge cakes, cool whip and frozen strawberries in syrup when making strawberry shortcakes.  I thought that was it, that was just what shortcakes were like.  Until I found a "gourmet" recipe for shortcake biscuits, and real strawberries, macerated in sugar and orange juice, with real whipped cream.  Oh, how I felt a little bit deprived!  No more, every year we make these the RIGHT way, with biscuits, etc.

So, here's another Carey/Sam recipe.  I have changed it a tiny bit since I was younger, since I can't eat lots of sugar anymore.  But we leave the yummy butter and sugar in the biscuits.  I am hoping Sam will come up with a gluten-free version soon, so I can indulge occasionally without the gluten gut afterward.

Ingredients:

Macerated Strawberries

1 lb. strawberries, sliced or diced

2 packets, or 1 1/2 tsp. stevia (i.e. Truvia, Stevia in the Raw)

1-2 Tbsp orange juice

Shortcake Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for counter top for kneading dough

1 Tbsp baking powder

3 Tbsp sugar

8 Tbsp butter, very cold

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup half 'n half

Egg Wash

1 Tbsp half 'n half (for egg/milk wash)

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp sparkle sugar/baker's sugar (or just use granulated sugar)

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Mix all ingredients together in a non-reactive bowl (like store this in a metal bowl, it could take on a toxic chemical reaction from the citric acid in the orange juice), or tupperware-style container.  Store up to two days ahead.

2) Adjust rack to lower-middle position, and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

3) Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and 3 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl.  

4) Cut butter into 16 cubes, without melting any of the cubes.  If your butter gets warm, just place it in the freezer for a few minutes.  It's important you butter is cold when mixed into the dry ingredients.

5) Toss butter with flour and coat well.  Use a pastry cutter to cut butter into the flour, looking for a large, coarse cornmeal texture/small peas.  Alternatively, you can rub the flour and butter together with your fingers, but if your hands run hot, stear clear of this method-you'll melt it, you hottie!

6) Mix beaten egg with 1/2 cup half 'n half; pour into dry ingredients.  Toss with a fork until large clumps form.

7) Flour your counter top then turn dough onto the floured surface and lightly knead it until it just starts to come together.

8) Pat dough into a 9"x6" rectangle, 3/4 inch thick.  Flour a 2 3/4 inch biscuit cutter; cut into 6 rounds.

9) Mix egg wash ingredients together and have pastry brush ready.

10) Place each biscuit 1 inch apart onto a parchment covered cookie sheet.  Don't have parchment paper, that's okay.  It just makes it a bit easier to release from sheet.  

11) Brush tops only with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

12) Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.  

13) Place sheet on wire rack; cool cakes until warm, about 10 minutes.  These will keep at room temperature for one day; 4 days in fridge, or 1 month in the freezer.

14) Chill metal or copper bowl in the freezer, along with any beater(s) you'll be using to whip your cream.  Keep them in there for at least 10 minutes.  *Make sure everything is completely dry before placing in freezer; water/ice is deadly to whipping cream!

15) Add cream, sugar and vanilla into the chilled bowl; beat on low speed until small bubbles form, about 30 seconds.  Increase speed to medium; continue beating until beaters leave a trail; about 30 more seconds.

16) Increase your speed to high; continue beating until the cream is smooth, thick, and nearly doubled in volume, about 20 seconds for soft peaks or about 30 seconds for stiff peaks.  *Please don't over mix, your cream will go back to a liquid form, no good.  Can refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

Dutch Apple Pancake

There's this awesome pancake that The Original Pancake House makes called Dutch Apple Pancake. It comes out of their kitchen so fluffy and sweet.  But it take them 30 minutes before we receive it.  And, We always seem to crave it on lazy days in our home.  I found a recipe a while back, in my copy of a Betty Crocker cookbook. It's not a fancy book, just the basics. So I was psyched when I realized it contained a recipe for an apple pancake.  On closer inspection, I realized it too, came out super fluffy, with a sticky, sweet mess, filling an entire plate.  It is for sharing, although, you probably won't want to.  And the amazing part is, since it has brown sugar underneath, it doesn't need any syrup.  In addition, once you flip it onto a serving plate (I just used my cutting board) you add on powdered sugar and a squeeze or two of lemon. I always stick very closely to the original recipe, but of course, I tweak it a bit for flavor's sake.  The following is my version, so I hope you like it.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter (if you only have salted, it's okay)
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon (Siagon is best)
1 medium apple, sliced (preferably Granny Smith, Fuji or Gala)
Powdered sugar
Lemon wedges

Directions: (BTW, for thee 10" cast iron skillet shown in these photos, I doubled the recipe)
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in middle.
2) Cut up the butter into cubes or long pieces, then place on your cast-iron skillet or round pie pan.
3) place pan onto the stove, on medium, for 5 minutes, until butter is melted but not sizzling.
4) Mix together the eggs and milk.
5) Then mix in the flour, and salt, just until all the dry ingredients are it incorporates. It will be lumpy.  If you over mix, the pancake will come out flat.
6) Swirl melted, cooled butter around pan as to coat the sides.  This will give the pancake a slippery surface so it can rise during baking time.  You can also use a brush to ensure you get some butter on the sides, or sometimes, I totally cheat and use a spray oil, and just spray the tar out of it all-around, just to make sure I get a good rise.
7) Sprinkle brown sugar onto bottom of pan, bring careful not to get on the sides of the pan.
8) Sprinkle cinnamon just like the brown sugar.
9) Quickly place your apple slices in any pattern you like, as long as their pretty flat, and aren't touching the sides of the pan.

10) Pour batter over apples, completely covering your apple slices.
11) bake 30-40 minutes. It will be done when it springs bake from the lightest touch, and is a lovely, delicious, golden brown.
12) with a butter or table knife, loosen the edges of the pancake from the sides of the pan.

 13) Carefully place a plate on top of pan, and with both hands securely in oven mits, confidently flip both over then set down onto a flat surface.
14) Using your oven mits, take off pan.  Sometimes, there is a stubborn bit of pancake. You can fix this by scraping it off the pan, then just slyly place back onto your pancake.
15) Cut into slices, depending on how many servings you need. I use my handy pizza cut and slice either 6 or 8 pieces, but you can cut whatever you'd like.
16) Sprinkle with lots of powdered sugar, then squeeze with lemon wedges. Or, you could serve each portion with the wedges, so everyone can determine how much tartness they'd like.