In the Kitchen with Kat: Strawberry Shortcake edition

I am usually not a fan of fruit desserts. I mean, what is a dessert without chocolate? Fruit is healthy, not dessert. Which by definition, should be yummy, bad for me, and chocolate. Well...I have found two exceptions to this rule. The first is Pioneer Woman's apple dumplings. We have made them twice -- and they are divine. Be sure to make them with low fat crescent rolls. It'll balance out all that butter.

On Memorial Day, I dug deep to find my inner Martha Stewart. And I made strawberry shortcake. From scratch. Not from bisquick. Or those disgusting sponge cakes with a dent in the middle. I made these babies from scratch. With strawberries we picked ourselves. It was a domestic diva moment.

Let me share my genius before she gets locked back up again.

Here are all the ingredients. Not much is called for. And notice...there is no 2lt. of Coke Zero in this picture. A grand tradition has come to an end.

Combine the dry ingredients

And then add slices of cold butter.

You are supposed to use a pastry blender to combine the butter. But because I am not Martha Stewart...I do not own such apparatus. I just used two knives. Just make it so it looks crumbly.

Then add the wet ingredients and just blend together.

Knead the dough and form it into a circle. It is supposed to be about an inch thick. And 7 inches around. I don't think I accomplished either...and it still turned out fabulous.

Next, you are supposed to use a 3" cookie cutter. Who do I look like? Martha Stewart? I don't own a cookie cutter. Because that might mean I was crafty. Or Martha. Which I am not. So, I improvised with one of my glasses. (I love footed glasses. Aren't they pretty? Southern Living at Home. Sorry...I digressed...) It worked just fine.

It made 8 scones - just like the recipe said it would. Plus one mutant one. The mutant one is the reward that you keep to yourself and scarf down right after cooking. Don't let anyone see the mutant one or they might want one, too.

Next, you make an egg "wash" to brush over your scones. Ummm...I also don't own a pastry brush. And I couldn't find the one we have used for BBQ sauce. I might have thrown it away when we moved. So...I used my pretty Pampered Chef scraper. It worked just fine. See you don't have to be Martha to bake from scratch. It's a good thing.

And here they are fresh from the oven. Yum.

Now, go eat that mutant one before anyone sees...

Oh...and the strawberries. Okay, here some major improvising took place. The recipe called for 2 pounds of strawberries. Well...we were using ones we picked at the strawberry fields. I have no idea how much I have. They are not in those convenient, labeled 1 pound containers. I think I used closer to three pounds. I took about a third of them...washed and hulled...and then, get this...mash them up. Let those juices flow. I forgot to take a picture of this part. Use your imagination.

Then I took the rest of the strawberries...I am guessing about 2 pounds. But it's a guess. Washed and hulled them. Sliced some...too lazy to slice all of them. And then poured them on top of my smooshed strawberries, and then added about 1/4 of a cup of sugar. You need less sugar if they are really sweet...probably more (1/3 cup) if they are from the grocery store.

To serve...most recipes have you split the scone, add strawberries, put the "lid" on, add whipped cream and more berries. But...I am not a fan of whipped cream. However, ice cream is where it's at! And this recipe is hereby crowned divine:

Here is the simple recipe:

2 cups white flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1/3 cup cold butter

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup whipping cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Slice the butter into thin pats and add to above. Blend with a pastry blender or two knives. It should look like course crumbs.

Whisk together the egg, cream, and vanilla and add it to the flour mixture until it just comes together. Do not over mix.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead about 4 or 5 times. Pat into a circle (about 7 inches in diameter and about an inch thick). With a 3" cookie cutter, cut out 8 rounds and put on your cookie sheet.

Next make an egg wash. Ingredients: one egg, beaten, and one tablespoon of cream. Brush the tops of the scones with this mixture.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes - or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

Filling:

2-3 pounds of strawberries

1/4 - 1/3 cup of sugar

Wash, hull, and slice berries.

Put about 1/3 of the berries in a large bowl and mash with a fork. (Or if you are Martha, a potato masher)

Then add the remaining berries and sugar.

Set aside (at room temperature) for about 30 minutes to an hour.

To serve, slice the scones in half. On the bottom half, spread some strawberry mixture, top with ice cream or whipped cream. Put the top of the scone on...add a little more ice cream/whipped cream. Drizzle with more strawberries. Delish, delish, delish!