Bill Yossess Strawberry Shortcake Recipes

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a 13x18-in baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, and salt.
• Add the pieces of cold butter. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized clumps of butter within. Add the buttermilk and stir with a rubber spatula until the dough comes together into a sticky, shaggy mass. Do not overmix.
• With lightly floured hands, form the dough into 8 craggy-looking balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. (They should be bigger than golf balls but smaller than tennis balls.) Don't worry about making them perfect -- it's better if they are a little rough around the edges. Sprinkle the tops with the turbinado sugar. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the biscuits are golden.
• Put one-third of the berries in a medium bowl and, using a potato masher or a fork, mash them into a chunky purée. Mix in the remaining berries, along with the raspberry jam and granulated sugar. Let the berries sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes, until saucy.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or beaters), whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Sprinkle the granulated sugar over the cream and beat until soft peaks return. Do not overbeat. (Alternatively, the whipped cream can be beaten by hand in a deep mixing bowl with a whisk.)
• To assemble the shortcakes: Using a serrated knife, split the biscuits in half horizontally and transfer the bottoms to 8 dessert plates. Spoon about three-quarters of the macerated berries and their juice evenly over the biscuit bottoms. Let some of the berries spill out onto the plate. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and cover each with a biscuit top. Spoon more berries and cream over each shortcake and serve immediately.
• Note: If you'd like to make your own buttermilk, check out the easy method here.teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then add milk to the ¾-cup line and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly curdled and thickened.
• Make Ahead: The unbaked biscuits can be refrigerated for up to 1 hour before baking. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze: place the unbaked biscuits on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until solid. Remove the firm biscuits from the freezer, place in an airtight bag, and store in the freezer. Bake the biscuits directly from the freezer, allowing a few extra minutes baking time. The whipped cream can be made a few hours before serving but err on the side of under-beating. Store it covered in the refrigerator and give it a final whip by hand to get it to a pillowy consistency just before serving. The strawberries cannot be made ahead.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES, DECONSTRUCTED

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Sift the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream in a measuring cup and, with the mixer still on low, add to the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. The dough will be sticky.
• Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough 1/2 to 5/8 inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Dip a 2-inch plain round cutter in flour and cut 16 to 18 biscuits. Place on the sheet pan, brush the tops of the biscuits with the egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. Cool on the pan.
• To serve, toss the strawberries with 1/3 cup of sugar and the Grand Marnier in a medium bowl. Place the berries in 6 martini glasses, top each with a dollop of whipped cream, and serve with 2 or 3 shortcakes on the side.

CLASSIC STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Whisk together the flour, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour, using your fingers or a pastry cutter, until the butter pieces are the size of small peas.
• Whisk together 1/3 cup of the cream with the egg and 1/3 cup water in a small bowl. Add to the dry mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until a stiff batter forms. Drop 6 mounds onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each biscuit. Brush with a bit of cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet.
• While the biscuits bake and cool, combine the honey with 1/3 cup water and a pinch of salt in a small saucepot. Gently simmer, stirring, over medium heat until the honey is dissolved and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Cool, and then toss in a medium bowl with the strawberries and mint. If time allows, set aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the strawberries to release their juices.
• To assemble, whip the remaining 1 cup cream with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar to soft peaks in a medium bowl. Split each biscuit and place the bottom half on a plate. Top evenly with the berries and accumulated juices and then the whipped cream. Place the top of the biscuit on the shortcake and garnish with fresh mint.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Steps:

• Make half of the batch: In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together half the butter and half the sugar for 5 minutes, until fluffy. Scrape down sides.
• Meanwhile, sift together the dry ingredients - the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt - and set aside half.
• With mixer running at low speed, add two eggs, one at a time. Mix in 1 cup molasses. Scrape down bowl.
• In 3 batches, add half the dry ingredients, mixing just to combine. To prevent any flour from flying out, make sure the mixer is off when adding each batch, and drape a towel over it when mixing. Mix in zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange.
• Pull dough out of mixer, and wrap in plastic wrap, or transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Repeat Steps 1 to 5 to make the remaining dough. Refrigerate overnight.
• When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll out dough: For each square, weigh out about 20 ounces of dough. The goal is to end up with five 9-inch squares, so you'll roll them out a bit larger, bake them and trim off the edges.
• Lightly dust a large piece of parchment paper with flour. Place the chilled dough on top. Roll side to side and up and down to make a rough square shape. While you roll, make frequent quarter-turns so that the dough remains even.
• Roll until dough is about 10 by 10 inches and a generous 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. (Any dough left after the squares have been prepared can be rolled out 1/4-inch thick and used for cookies.) In the oven, the slab will rise to about 3/8- or 1/2-inch thickness, which will make the house extra sturdy.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until even and firmly set. Place pans on racks to cool. To prevent bending and cracking, carefully transfer to racks by lifting parchment paper. When completely cool, stack the slabs, still on parchment, and set aside to dry out at room temperature for 3 to 7 days. (When ready to assemble, see How to Make a Gingerbread House guide for full instructions.)

EASY STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Sprinkle strawberries with 1/2 cup sugar; let stand 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 450°F. Grease bottom and side of round pan, 8x1 1/2 inches.
• Cut shortening into flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder and salt in medium bowl, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in milk just until blended. Pat dough in pan.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Split layer horizontally in half while hot. Spread with butter; fill and top with strawberries. Serve warm with cream.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Prep the strawberries: Cut the stems away from the strawberries and discard. Cut the strawberries in half, and then in either quarters or thick slices.
• Macerate the strawberries with sugar: Put the cut strawberries into a large bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Start with 1/4 cup of sugar and then add up to another 1/4 cup depending on how sweet your strawberries are. Gently stir the strawberries until they are all coated with some sugar. Let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes, until the berries soften and begin to release their juices.
• Mash some of the strawberries: After 20 minutes or so, mash about a quarter of the berries in the bowl with a potato masher and stir to mix. You don't want to mash all the berries, just enough of them for their juices. Let sit while you bake the biscuits.
• Bake the biscuits: Use the recipe below to bake the biscuits.
• Make the whipped cream: While the biscuits are baking, whip the cream using an electric mixer, adding a drop or two of vanilla and 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar. Cover with plastic and place in the refrigerator to chill until ready to serve. To serve, break up one biscuit per person into big pieces into a bowl. Ladle strawberries over the biscuit. Add a dollop of whipped cream.
• Stir the flour with dry ingredients: In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together 3 cups of the flour, the sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• Work in the butter: Cut the butter into the flour mixture, either using your fingers, a pastry cutter, a fork, or a food processor, until the largest pieces of butter are the size of peas.
• Add the wet ingredients: Stir together the milk and cream, add the vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour the milk mixture into it. Mix with a fork or wooden spoon until the mixture is just combined. It should look rather shaggy. If it is too wet to work with, sprinkle some of the remaining 1/4 cup of flour over it. Gently knead by hand a few times to form a loose ball of dough, adding more flour if needed. It should be slightly tacky but not wet.
• Chill the dough: Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and form it into an 8-inch square, about 3/4-inch to an inch thick. Place it on a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
• Bake the biscuits: Heat the oven to 425ºF. Remove the dough from refrigerator. Cut the dough into 9 even squares and space them about 2 inches apart from each other on the baking sheet. Bake until the biscuits are medium golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Makes 9 biscuits.
• Serve: Split the biscuits, if you like, and top with the macerated strawberries and whipped cream.

EASY STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Place strawberries in a container with a lid; add sugar and stir to coat. Place lid on the container and refrigerate until sugar has dissolved, at least 15 minutes.
• Place a 1 dessert cup in each serving bowl and smother with strawberries. Top each with whipped cream.

LEMON POUNDCAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, line with parchment or waxed paper. Grease paper. Grate zest of 4 lemons; slice tops and bottoms off 3 (reserve fourth). Stand lemons on end on a cutting board, and cut away white pith until the flesh is exposed. Over a bowl, cut segments from membranes, letting fruit and juice fall into bowl (remove seeds). With fork, break segments into 1-inch pieces.
• Sift flour, superfine sugar and baking powder into the bowl of an electric mixer. Begin mixing on low speed, then add crème fraîche or cream. Increase speed to medium, and beat in eggs, one at a time, then butter. Gently fold lemon segments and juices and 3 tablespoons zest into batter. Scrape into pan, and bake 15 minutes. Use a sharp knife to cut an incision lengthwise down middle of cake, and bake 30 minutes longer. Lower oven to 325 degrees, and bake 40 to 45 minutes longer, or until a tester comes out clean.
• Meanwhile, juice the remaining 6 lemons. Put granulated and confectioners' sugars in a pot, and add 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Stir in lemon juice and remaining zest, and let cool.
• When cake is done, put pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Raise oven to 350 degrees. Unmold cake, and transfer it to a pie pan or deep dish. Pour lemon syrup over cake, and very gently squeeze the cake to help it absorb syrup. Carefully turn cake upside down in syrup, and squeeze a bit more. Put cake on a baking sheet; return to oven for 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.
• To serve, lightly toast 1/2-inch slices of the cake. If desired, put raspberry coulis on each serving plate. Place two slices of cake on top and a scoop of mint ice on top of cake.

BILL YOSSES'S STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Place flour, salt, baking powder, and SPLENDA® Sugar Blend in the bowl of an electric mixture.
• Cut butter into dime size pieces and add.
• Mix on slow speed until the mixture has a crumbly texture.
• Pour in the cream while continuing to mix on slow speed. Stop the mixer as soon as the dough comes roughly together and finish by hand. The dough will look a little lumpy.
• Place dough on a piece of plastic wrap and push down to a rectangle 1 1/2 inches thick.
• Refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
• Cut the dough into 5 equal squares and each square into a triangle. Place triangles on a baking sheet.
• Brush dough with egg wash.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.
• Stem, wash and drain the strawberries then put one quarter of them in the blender and liquefy.
• Pass this puree through a sieve to remove seeds and pour over the remaining berries. Serve with whipped cream. ( See below.)
• Refrigerate mixing bowl for 20 minutes.
• Pour in cream and SPLENDA® Sugar Blend.
• Whisk with a fine wire whisk till soft peaks form; use right away.