Stawberry Shortcake

Happy Memorial Day everyone!  Hope you are enjoy the holiday with your loved ones.  Huge "Thank You" to those who have served and to those who are currently serving (like my step-son Mark).  Today the sun is shining and we have clear blue skies - the first day in a week that it isn't raining!  Unfortunately for us my son has, not one, but two baseball practices today, each lasting 2 hrs.  So, there will be no family cook-outs for us today.  I will never understand why they schedule practices on holidays.  To me these rare days should be spent with family, enjoying time together.  

Since we won't be doing anything "special" today, I decided to make strawberry shortcake for breakfast.  That's fine right?  Gotta enjoy life any way you can right?  Here is my favorite strawberry shortcake recipe.  The shortcake is more like a cream scone, and it is moist and delicious.  If at all possible, use homemade whipped cream - it really does make a difference when there are so few other components to the dish.   YUM! 

Strawberry Shortcake (serves 6)

2 1/2 lbs strawberries, sliced
4 tbsp sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar

2 cups flour 
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup light whipping cream or half & half

Strawberries:  Slice strawberries and place in a medium bowl.  Add 4 tbsp sugar and stir to combine.  Let set in fridge for at least an hour so it can develop a nice juicy syrup - the longer it sets the better (sometimes I'll even do this step the day before I know I'm making this).

Shortcake:  Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl.  Cut butter into small pieces and blend in to the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Whisk together egg, cream and vanilla and add to flour mixture, mixing just until dough comes together.  Transfer to floured surface and knead gently 4 or 5 times then pat or roll dough until 1 inch thick.  Cut out rounds and place on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray (I just use a glass to cut out the dough rounds).  Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.

Whipped Cream:   Place the heavy whipping cream into the bowl of an electric mixer and add the 2 tbsp of powdered sugar.  Using the whisk attachment beat on high until you have whipped cream.