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Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Cream

What primes your tastebuds for summer more than a plate of strawberry shortcake?! This recipe is from Michelle Polzine from Range in San Francisco. I made this same one a long time ago, and I realized a lovely strawberry shortcake was much overdue. Berries from local strawberry stands are so juicy and sweet and absolutely perfect--the only berries from which to make this dessert. I love the lemon cream here as well; by folding a small amount of lemon curd into a batch of whipped cream, the cream is fluffy and has just the perfect amount of rich lemon vibrancy. Next time I use this recipe, I want to experiment with the shortcakes themselves; using a combination of other flours, adding perhaps some cardamom and definitely a little vanilla extract, and maybe even some finely crushed walnuts or pecans into the dough.


 

For the biscuits:

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 

3/4 c cake flour 

3 Tbsp sugar 

2 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp salt 

6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus 1 1/2 Tbsp melted butter 

1 c heavy cream 

1 1/2 Tbsp turbinado sugar

For the lemon cream:

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1/4 c fresh lemon juice, preferably from Meyer lemons

2 1/2 Tbsp sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

pinch of salt

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 c heavy cream

For the strawberries:

2 pints strawberries, quartered

2 Tbsp sugar

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose and cake flours with the sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the cold butter until it is the size of small peas. Stir in the cream until a shaggy dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and knead 2 or 3 times, just until it comes together. Roll the dough into a 7-inch round, about 3/4 inch thick. Using a 2 3/4-inch or 3-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out 5 biscuits. Gently gather the scraps and reroll them; cut out 1 more round so you have a total of 6 biscuits. Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet and brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar on top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits are golden. Let cool. Set a strainer over a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, combine half of the lemon zest with the lemon juice, sugar, egg, egg yolk, salt and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Immediately strain the curd into the bowl. Whisk in the remaining lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of butter. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate until cool, about 15 minutes. In a medium bowl, softly whip the cream. Fold the lemon curd into the whipped cream and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the sugar and let stand for 15 minutes. Split the biscuits in half and arrange the bottom halves on plates. Mound the lemon cream on the biscuits, top with the strawberries and their juices and replace the tops. Serve right away. The biscuits can be stored in an airtight container overnight. Recrisp them in a warm oven and let cool before serving. The lemon curd can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. The lemon cream can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours.