I tried holding out until June 14th, or Strawberry Shortcake Day, but I simply could not resist the lure of plump, macerated strawberries enveloped in soft clouds of whipped cream, set atop a buttery shortcake biscuit.  These are the strawberry shortcakes of my childhood, just as my Mom would make them.  A special weekend treat, and if we were really lucky there would be leftovers for breakfast the next morning.

Prepare the Strawberries in advance:

1. Combine:
   1. 1 quart sliced Strawberries
   2. 1/4 cup Sugar
2. Gently stir the sugar into the strawberries.
3. Cover and place the strawberries in the refrigerator to rest for a few hours, stirring occasionally.  The sugar should dissolve into the strawberries leaving you with a sweet, delicate strawberry juice coating the strawberry slices and seeping to the bottom of the bowl.

Shortcakes

Recipe makes 10 shortcakes.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups Flour
• 3 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 6 tbsp chilled Butter
• 3/4 cup Milk or Cream

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F (~232 C).
2. Sift together all of the dry ingredients.
3. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients.
4. Make a hole at the center of your ingredients, and pour in the milk and cream.
5. Stir the dough until it is uniformly combined.
6. Roll out the dough until it is about 1/2″ thick.
7. Cut out shortcake rounds (~ 3″ diameter).
8. Place the rounds on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.
9. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes.

Assemble Shortcakes:

• Strawberries
• Shortcakes
• Whipped Cream (1/2 pint Heavy Cream + 2-3 tbsp Powdered Sugar = whipped until fluffy)

1. Cut Shortcakes in half.
2. Place the bottom half on the serving plate.
3. Spoon Strawberries over the bottom half.  Make sure to include some of that sugary juice.
4. Add a scoop of whipped cream.
5. Sandwich the shortcake together by placing the top half of the shortcake over the whipped cream.