Summer RoundUp #9: Strawberry Shortcake, Paula {Bell’Alimento}

Very exceptional this week, out meeting with Summer RoundUp guest post has been anticipated to Thursday, instead of Friday, due to a DB recipe that you’ll see tomorrow (very excited, by the way). But, without further ado, I want to introduce you today’s guest blogger, maybe the first international blogger  I got to know, since she is American, but she used to live in Italy, so she speaks (and writes) a wonderful Italian and mostly her recipes are a perfect interpretation of our traditional cusine. Ladies and gentlemen, I’m thrilled to introduce you Paula, from Bell’Alimento! It’s hard to find a professional blogger so nice and helpful, thank you Paula for being so kind and patient with me!

Strawberry Shortcake and a staycation!

Summers for us are about family, food, fourth of July, relaxing and water. Lots of water {be it the swimming pool or the beach}! It’s very hot here on the East Coast and cooling off is key ; ) Okay, there’s a lot more but those are the common denominators in almost every one of our summers.

This summer we decided to slow things down dramatically and take a “staycation”. Instead of the normal running around like crazy we took advantage of long lazy summer days at HOME. And it was surprisingly refreshing. A highlight of our slowed down summer was that we planted our first real garden and watched it grow and produce some of the best vegetables and fruits we’ve ever tasted {yes, we’re biased LOL}

We grew a large variety of herbs, squash, tomatoes, bell peppers, cantaloupe, blueberries, and strawberries. And we put all of that food to good use.

One thing that we always make every summer is my Mamma’s Strawberry Shortcake. It’s the epitome of a summer dessert for us. It’s southern and sweet. Who doesn’t love strawberries. Especially ones from your own garden ; )

It’s a recipe that has been in our family for years. One that was passed on through watching in the kitchen and not through a recipe card. The shortcake is light and fluffy. The strawberries are vibrant and oh so sweet. And the homemade whipped cream. Who can resist homemade whipped cream with a touch of vanilla. Swoon!

My parents came to visit this summer and in keeping with tradition, we made what else…Strawberry Shortcake. The secret is not to over work the dough. If you do you’ll end up with extremely heavy cakes and those are only good for playing hockey LOL

Who knows, maybe this winter we’ll take a proper vacation but I have to admit our staycation was pretty nice!

Baci!

Strawberry Shortcake

What you’ll need: {Ingredients}

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted COLD butter – cubed
• 1/2 cups low fat buttermilk
• 1  egg – beaten
• 1 pound strawberries – sliced
• 1 pint of heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

What to do: {Directions}
1. Place the sliced strawberries into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place into refrigerator to allow them to macerate for a minimum of 4 hours. If your strawberries are not sweet enough, add a few tablespoons of sugar and stir well to combine.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place parchment paper or a silpat mat onto your baking tray.

3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter. Mix together until looks like small pellets.

4. Whisk together buttermilk and egg. Add flour mixture and lightly mix with hands until dough comes together. Be careful not to over mix or your shortcakes will not be light and fluffy.

5. Place dough onto a well floured surface. With floured hands form dough until it’s approximately 1/2 inch thick and then cut into 8 equal pieces. Brush pieces with remaining buttermilk.  Bake 12 to 15 min until lightly golden. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool.

6. WHILE shortcakes are cooling, whisk your heaving whipping cream and vanilla extract together until you have whipped cream.

7. To assemble shortcakes. Cut your shortcakes in half horizontally. Place a dollop of whipped cream and a spoon full of the macerated strawberries. Top with shortcake, add more whipped cream and strawberries. Garnish with fresh mint if desired.

Related posts:

Summer RoundUp #8: Strawberry sponge cake, Sari {Cook your dream} Strawberry and mascarpone pound cake Lemon and white chocolate cake A simple crostata: thank you for the ordinary that becomes extraordinary