The American Favorites section is where we have placed recipes for dishes that have become American favorites; these recipes are for foods that are enjoyed by many people throughout this great country of ours. In this particular section, I won't assign a specific part of the country as being the origin of the recipe.
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4 c all-purpose flour 1½ c heavy cream
6 T sugar 6 tsp melted and cooled butter
5 tsp baking powder 2 pints fresh ripe strawberries
2 tsp salt 1½ tsp sugar
12 T butter, chilled and cut 1 pint heavy cream for topping
into bits
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Preheat the oven to 450°. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
together into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter, and, with your fingertips,
rub the dry ingredients and butter together until most of the lumps disappear
and the mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour in the heavy cream and, with
your hands or a large spoon, mix thoroughly until a soft dough is formed.
Gather it into a compact ball and transfer it to a lightly floured board.
Knead the dough for about a minute by folding it end to end and pressing it
down and pushing it forward several times with the heel of your hand. Then
roll the dough out into a circle about 1 inch thick. With a 3-inch cookie
cutter, cut out 6 circles. Cut the remaining dough into six 2½-inch circles.
(If there isn't enough dough, gather the scraps together, knead briefly and
roll out again.) Arrange the 3-inch circles on a lightly buttered cookie
sheet. Brush each with a teaspoon of melted butter, then top with the
smaller circle. Bake in the middle of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until
firm to the touch and golden brown.Meanwhile, chop half the strawberries coarsely, reserving the most attractive ones for the top. Separate the shortcakes. Spread a layer of chopped strawberries on the bottom circles, sprinkle with sugar and gently place the smaller circles on top. Garnish with the whole strawberries. Strawberry shortcake is traditionally served with heavy cream. Makes 6 small shortcakes.
