I am going to start my strawberry recipes in a humble way.  I have many recipes for fancy stuff, but what if you want something plain and simple?  After all, strawberries speak for themselves in their delicious taste and color!  So this is my special recipe for the biscuit dough for strawberry shortcake.  The secret to good biscuits is to use butter and Rumford baking powder.  This is baking powder that doesn’t contain aluminum like the kind at the regular grocery store.  I buy mine from Lakewinds Natural Foods in Chanhassen but there are probably other places as well.

Baking Powder Biscuits

  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cream of tarter
  • 1 tbsp. of sugar
  • 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)
  • 2/3 cup of milk

Mix the dry ingredients together and then add butter and use a whisk or pie crust mixer to work the butter into small pieces like course meal.  Add milk.  Mix into a round dough ball and place on floured flat surface and roll out dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch.  Take a round cookie cutter or an empty tuna can and cut out circles and place on greased cookie sheet.  Bake of about 15 minutes at 425.    For drop biscuits – add another third or so of milk until dough can be spooned onto a greased baking sheet.  Bake as for above.

These are best used fresh.  When slightly  cooled, slice in two to create a sandwich like structure.  Scoop strawberries inside and top with berries and a scoop of whipped cream.  Yum!

 

My mother’s favorite type of strawberry shortcake is with a sponge type cake.  This is like the pre-made cakes they sell at the grocery for this purpose.  This is nice if you like to have the strawberry juice kind of sponge up into the cake.  The biscuit recipe above doesn’t soak up and the top crust remains crispy

Hot Milk Sponge Cake for Strawberries

  • 2 Tbsp Butter
  • 1/2 cup of hot milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Add butter to milk.  Beat eggs and vanilla until thick and lemon colored about 3 minutes on high speed.  Gradually add sugar, beating constantly at meduim speed 4 -5 minutes.  Add flour, baking powder and salt; stir just until blended.  Stir in milk mixture.  Pour into greased and floured 9 inch pan at least 2 inches deep.  This can be a round or square pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 -30 minutes.  Cool 15 minutes.  Remove from pan.  Serve with fresh crushed or sliced fruit, topped with ice cream or whipped cream.

 

Strawberry Smoothie

Fill Vitamix or good blender with strawberries that have been washed and hulled to about half-way. Add one cup of sugar and blend at medium speed.  When pureed, turn blender on high and begin adding ice cubes one at a time until mixture is thick.  This could take one tray of ice or more.  This is a basic recipe.  Some people like a sweeter drink and you may want to add more sugar.  Some like to add a dash of lemon for added zest.  This is a good way to use berries that are getting ripe and you want to use them quickly and is a very refreshing drink.

Delicious Thick Strawberry Shake

  • 1 cup of milk
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1 cup of  strawberries – washed and  hulled
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt

Put all ingredients in blender at high speed for 30 seconds.  Makes 2 servings.

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