Italian Style Strawberry Shortcake Recipes

Steps:

• For the shortcakes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk the heavy cream, sour cream and vanilla in a small bowl; refrigerate until ready to use. Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter; pulse until the mixture looks like fine meal. Pour in the chilled heavy cream mixture and pulse until just combined.
• Lightly flour a work surface and dump the dough onto it. Pat out the dough 1/2-inch thick. Cut out as many biscuits as you can with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter. Then pat the remaining dough out to 1/2-inch thick again. Cut more biscuits; you should get 12.
• Put 6 of the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops generously with cream, then top each cream-brushed biscuit with one of the remaining biscuit rounds. (This makes it easier to split once they are baked.) Brush the top of each biscuit stack with more heavy cream and sprinkle 1 teaspoon granulated sugar on each biscuit.
• Bake the biscuits until golden and puffed, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
• Meanwhile, for the topping: Toss the strawberries and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar in a medium bowl.
• Just before serving, beat the heavy cream, sour cream, the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.
• Split the shortcakes in half. Spoon half the cream on the bottom of the biscuits, top evenly with the strawberries and top with the remaining cream. Put each biscuit top on and serve.

Steps:

• Block of bittersweet chocolate, for shavingPreheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter 2 sheet trays.
• Flour your work surface. Roll out each puff pastry sheet to a 14-inch square. Use a biscuit cutter to cut into 4-inch rounds. Place on the prepared sheet tray and prick with a fork. Bake the pastry until golden brown and puffy, about 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through cooking. Remove and let cool. Once cool, slice each puffed round into 3 horizontal pieces.
• Meanwhile, add the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice to a medium bowl and toss. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes so the juices develop.
• When ready to serve, add the heavy cream to a large bowl and add the seeds of the vanilla bean. Beat, using a hand mixer, until it thickens. Add the powdered sugar and beat until soft peaks appear.
• To assemble, add a nice dollop of whipped cream to a dessert plate. Top with strawberries and a round of pastry. Repeat the layers, ending with the pastry. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, top with chocolate shavings and serve immediately.

Steps:

• To make the strawberries, toss the coined berries and cane sugar together in a bowl. Let them sit for about 20 minutes, or until they start to break down and liquefy.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C or gas mark 8) and have a sheet pan lined with parchment nearby.
• To make the biscuits, in a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt. Drizzle over the olive oil, and gently toss with your hands until droplets of oil are dispersed evenly throughout the flour. Add the buttermilk, stirring gently and compressing with your hands until a shaggy dough is formed. Dump out onto a floured work surface and knead until it comes together into a solid mass. Roll it out into a 1¼-inch (3-cm)-thick disk. Using a 3-inch (7.5-cm) biscuit cutter, punch out 6 biscuits, folding and re-rolling the dough if needed. Place the biscuits on the lined sheet tray, brush with more buttermilk, sprinkle with raw sugar if using, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until slightly puffed and golden brown. Remove the biscuits and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• To make the balsamic glaze, combine the balsamic vinegar and honey in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half. Set aside to cool and thicken.
• To make the whipped cream topping, when you're ready to serve, beat together the cream and honey in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, or in a bowl with an electric mixer, until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Split the cooled biscuits in half and spoon on some of the strawberries along with some of their juices so it soaks into the bottom biscuit. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, followed by a drizzle of the balsamic glaze. Top with the other half of the biscuit, and repeat with more strawberries, more cream, and another drizzle of glaze. Repeat with the rest of the biscuits, and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Pick over and hull strawberries. Cut in half or slice, depending on size. Gently crush about a quarter of the berries with a fork to release their juices. Mix with remaining berries and the 1/2 cup of sugar, adding more sugar if necessary. Set aside, covered, for about half an hour to develop flavor.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Into a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, salt and baking powder. Add 3/4 cup of softened butter, and rub into dry ingredients as for pastry. Add 1 1/4 cups cream, and mix to a soft dough. Knead the dough for one minute on a lightly floured pastry board, then roll it out to about 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut an even number of rounds - 2 rounds per serving.
• Use a little of the butter to grease a baking sheet. Place half the rounds on it. Melt remaining butter and brush a little on the rounds; place remaining rounds on top. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Remove from the oven, and pull shortcakes apart. Brush the insides with some of the remaining melted butter.
• Beat remaining cream until it thickens. Add vanilla. Beat again just until thick.
• Place a bottom half of a shortcake on each plate. Top with a generous spoonful of berries. Cover with a top half, add a few more berries, and top with whipped cream. Serve immediately.