Strawberries Cream With Rosemary Shortcakes Recipe 435

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch-round cake pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper; butter the parchment and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
• Make the cake: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk the melted butter, vanilla bean paste, eggs, milk and lemon zest in a medium bowl until just smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out of the pan onto the rack and let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the toppings and filling: Halve 16 strawberries. Whisk 1 tablespoon water and the strawberry jelly in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the halved strawberries and toss to coat; set aside. Thinly slice the remaining strawberries, then toss with 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in another medium bowl; set aside. Beat the heavy cream, the remaining 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Refrigerate the whipped cream until ready to assemble. Carefully cut the cake in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Place the bottom half cut-side up on a platter. Drizzle the juices from the sliced berries over the cut sides of both cake halves. Fold a few tablespoons of the whipped cream into the sliced berries; spoon over the bottom cake layer. Cover with the other cake layer, then top with the remaining whipped cream. Top with the halved strawberries and their juices. Photograph by Anna Williams

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss together strawberries, sugar and orange zest. Cover and refrigerate until it is time to assemble the shortcakes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and rosemary. Add shortening. Blend with a fork or with your hands until a course mixture comes together. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix with your hands until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead gently until everything comes together and is smooth. Roll out about 1/2-inch thick. Using a round cookie cutter or cup, cut out about 9 rounds of dough. Arrange about 1-inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. Remove and let cool on a cooling rack. In a small bowl, whip cream and sugar until firm. Assembly. Cut each shortcake in half. Spread a teaspoon of whipped cream on the bottom layer. Arrange 3 strawberry slices and top with another teaspoon of whipped cream. Repeat this process twice. Before topping with the other half of the shortcake, drizzle each with the strawberry juice.

Steps:

• Using an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or an electric hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg yolk, salt, vanilla seeds and orange blossom water, if using. Beat in flour until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Scrape the dough onto a 12-inch-long piece of plastic wrap and form it into a log, 1 1/2 inches in diameter. It will be very sticky, so use the plastic wrap to help form the log (or make two shorter logs if that's easier). Then wrap it up and chill until it's thoroughly cold, at least 3 hours (and up to 5 days).
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick liners.
• Unwrap the dough log and slice it into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheets and bake until the cookies are golden at the edges, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be bake up to 4 days ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
• When ready to serve, sprinkle strawberries with a little sugar and let them sit for 15 minutes to release their juices.
• Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk, or a whisk and elbow grease, whip the cream, adding a teaspoon or two of sugar, if you like. Note that the cookies are very sweet so you may not want to add any sugar at all.
• Spoon the strawberries into serving bowls and top with whipped cream. Drizzle cream with juices from the strawberry bowl. Tuck a cookie or two in each bowl and serve with spoons.