Alison Roman began her culinary career as a pastry chef, and I find her desserts to be some of the best recipes in her cook books and magazine spreads. My grandsons love strawberries so I’m always on the lookout for another strawberry dessert to try. This was the latest, and with a big dollop of whipped cream a serious hit. Easier than assembling individual shortcakes, the cakes are baked right of top of the berries; making for a syrupy ruby red cobbler.
This is a very hands-on recipe, so roll up your sleeves and be sure to take your rings off before working with the sticky dough. Kind of fun!
SHORTCAKES
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
1/2 cup coarse yellow corn meal
2 Tbs. light brown sugar
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream
FILLING
5 cups strawberries (about 2 quarts), hulled and halved
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1 Tbs. fresh lime or lemon juice
2 Tbs. heavy cream
2 Tbs. light brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Make the shortcakes: In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using your hands, rub the butter into the flour mixture until no large chunks remain. Add the cream and mix with your hands just until blended. Turn the dough out onto lightly floured work surface and knead the dough just until its no longer super sticky, about 2 minutes.
Using your hands, form the dough into a circle about 1 inch thick. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter (or an approximation thereof -I use water glasses, mason jars, whatever) punch out as many shortcakes as you can. Re-pat the scraps to 1 inch thick and repeat until all the dough is used. Set the shortcakes aside while you prepare the filling (transfer to the refrigerator if they feel too soft).
Make the filling: In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lime juice. Transfer the berries to a 9-inch cast iron skillet, pie dish, or cake pan (a 9×13-inch baking dish will also work in a pinch) and top with the shortcakes.
Brush the tops of the shortcakes with the cream and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Bake until the shortcakes are golden brown and the juices of the strawberries have thickened and bubbled up around the edges of the skillet, 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before digging in (this will not only prevent unnecessary mouth burns, but letting it cool a bit will help set the juices so it’s not too runny.) Serves 6.
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