Looking back to my childhood, I remember my father always looked forward to the month of June—to Father's Day and to his birthday a week later. His excitement was not about any presents he would inevitably get. It was for the strawberry shortcake my mother would make for him.
We all sat around the picnic table together in the back yard to enjoy freshly baked biscuits, piles of sweet, just-picked strawberries, and most of all, the mounds of real whipped cream. My dad was in his glory, with all the family together celebrating with his favorite dessert.
To make memorable strawberry shortcake, you need to catch local strawberries in season—in June (for the Northeast) when they are ripe, sweet, and juicy. The dry, pale berries you find on grocery shelves during the rest of the year just don't measure up.
One of the greatest joys you and your family can experience together is to visit a local strawberry farm and pick your own berries. Especially for kids, there's something profoundly satisfying about seeing the fruit growing in nature, harvesting it yourself, and then turning it into a beautiful, edible creation.
Even more fun is spending a day at one of the many strawberry festivals that abound during harvest season. Check your local paper for upcoming festivities held at nearby farms, community centers, and public fairgrounds. During the height of strawberry season, it's hard not to notice signs along the roadsides directing traffic to the festival du jour.
At a typical strawberry festival, you'll find plenty of strawberries and homemade strawberry shortcake—of course! But often there will be music, craft booths, exhibits, and various activities such as hayrides, face-painting, races, and games.
One way to prolong the strawberry season is to take home as much fruit as you can handle and freeze it right away. To prepare berries for freezing, wash and dry them thoroughly, discarding the hulls and any bad berries. Then spread them on a baking sheet and place it in the freezer. When the berries have completely frozen after a few hours or overnight, depending on the size of the berries, loosely pack them whole in freezer storage bags. They will last for several months in the freezer, although when you defrost them they won't be as firm as fresh berries.
As a quick cure for the winter blues, pull out some of these frozen beauties and make strawberry shortcake. Voilà! A little bit of June sunshine in January.
Quick Strawberry Shortcake
This recipe is quick and easy to make—and delicious. Measurements don't need to be precise, but you should have enough cream, sliced strawberries, and sauce to cover a batch of biscuits.
To clean the strawberries, sort through them and discard any bad ones, wash them thoroughly, and remove the hulls.
Basic Ingredients
- Your favorite biscuit mix (prepare as directed but substitute orange juice for liquid)
- Cleaned and sliced strawberries
- Strawberry sauce
- Fresh whipped cream
Strawberry Sauce
- 16 oz. strawberries, cleaned and sliced
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
Combine sugar and water in medium saucepan over medium low heat and stir with wooden spoon until sugar dissolves. Add strawberries. Continue to simmer the sauce, stirring every few minutes or so to prevent sticking, until it reduces to half of its original volume. Let cool.
Whipped Cream
- 1 pint of heavy cream or whipping cream
- 5 tablespoons of sugar, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, or to taste
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a wire whisk or electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
To assemble shortcake, place a warm biscuit (slice it open if it is thick) on a plate. Spoon some sauce over the biscuit, add sliced fresh strawberries, and top with a big dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and a slice of orange, and enjoy!
Remember, strawberry season doesn't last long, so take the opportunity to enjoy these tasty—and healthy—berries while they are at the peak of perfection. Strawberries are found to be high in vitamin C and antioxidants.
And take time to savor some strawberry shortcake. It's not something you get to eat all the time … and you have the rest of the year to burn off the calories.
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