One of the happiest times in the Maryland calendar is the month of May when our delicious strawberries are just pouring in. With all the pick your own farms out there, there are few things nicer than taking the kids out to pluck a few pecks of sweet red strawberries. Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Schola Cooking School reminds us that there is a classic way for Marylanders to enjoy those berries.
Click on the picture for the recipe.
Maryland Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
2 lbs. fresh Maryland strawberries (choose the small sweet berries)
¼ cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream (unsweetened, of course)
¼ cup sugar
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup cold butter, cut up
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 (8-oz.) container sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Wash, hull and quarter the strawberries. Toss in a large bowl with ¼ cup sugar and allow to macerate at room temperature while you’re making the biscuits. Combine flour, ¼ cup sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl; cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender or two forks until crumbly. Whisk together eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until blended; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop dough by lightly greased 1/3 cupfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet. (Coat cup with vegetable cooking spray after each drop.)
Bake at 450° for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Let cool. Whip the cream until it holds soft peaks. Slice each biscuit in half, spoon some strawberries with juice on the bottom, add a dollop of whipped cream and top.
