It’s been grey and drizzly for days in Seattle and Sunday was no exception. After spending a good portion of the day gardening in the rain, which is actually more pleasant than you might think, I had a fantastic feast for dinner. I slow braised Mangalitsa pork cheeks in a spicy tamarind broth and served it with grilled chickpea flat bread, and for dessert? Strawberry shortcake with a big dollop of freshly whipped cream!
When dessert hit the table it felt like summer. The fresh sweet aroma and vibrant red color of the berries was enough to fool all of us. I have This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe to thank for the brief, but thoroughly enjoyed escape.
The tender shortcakes were made with all the good stuff; butter, cream, and a touch of sugar. Dorie instructs to hand blend the dough, but with all the dinner prep going on at the time, I pulled out my food processor to make quicker work of the project. These shortcakes baked up toasty and sweet, with a very tender tight crumb sturdy enough to soak up the syrup from the berries without disintegrating. It was quintessential shortcake. Mine didn’t rise much, and I wonder if I wasn’t overly aggressive when I gave them a little pat to flatten them out before baking. It didn’t really matter because they tasted great. Just like summer.
While shopping for the strawberries I couldn’t resist picking up some mangosteen as well. I think they are one of the most beautiful fruits. The edible portion is segmented like a tangerine, but has a very sweet floral aroma and taste much like lychee. I tossed a few segments on each shortcake for an added tropical twist.
Thank you to Cathy of The Tortefeasor for this little taste of summer. She has the recipe posted on her blog so you can showcase your next haul of summer berries on beautiful shortcakes.
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Over 350 baking bloggers are baking our way thorough Dorie Greenspan’s book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. 129 recipes completed 92 to go!
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awesome job! neat looking mangosteens..,.
Tia @ buttercreambarbie