Love Letter to a Biscuit-Strawberry Shortcake Forever

Classic strawberry shortcakes conjure a simpler time in America. A time when deals were signed with handshakes, the July 4th parade tootled down Main Street, and tuna sandwiches contained real tuna. Though my heritage leans more bagel than biscuit, I wanted to give my grandchildren a taste of Americana before it all disappears—replaced by soigné dishes like Harry’s Berries Floating on a Pastry Raft in a Foamy Sea. The only obstacle would be the biscuit.

If you’re not born to it, biscuit-making is a mysterious art—one best learned by sitting at the feet of a master. Luckily, I found one in Shirley Corriher, biscuit-maker extraordinaire and self-described food sleuth. Back in the nineties when I was career-building, the plump Ms. Corriher was a beloved presence at the annual International Association of Culinary Professionals conferences. Hungry culinarians including Queen Julia would queue early at Shirley’s booth, where they would bathe in her warm Southern hospitality, then snatch a piping hot biscuit to-go. As a spokesperson for the Tennessee-based flour company While Lily, the biochemist from Vanderbilt generously shared her grandma’s secrets while tossing in some elementary chemistry with the shortening. Eventually her tips were published in two books (Cookwise and Bakewise) and are available for free in a delightful YouTube tutorial. Her thoughts can be whittled down to these: “Biscuits are no big deal,” reports Shirley with a twinkle in her eye. “The dough should resemble cottage cheese and look like a wet mess.” Self-rising White Lily flour, milled from soft winter wheat is the Southern secret ingredient. Normal flour is just used for dipping, but that’s probably more than you need to know.

I made some modifications when it was time for Piper’s first biscuit lesson. Our biscuits would be more streamlined than Shirley’s authentic high-rising towers of flakiness. Since we used a mixer and a rolling pin (blasphemy!), the biscuits wouldn’t rise as high, but they would be more uniform in appearance.  Rather than grabbing fistfuls of dough and hurling them willy-nilly into a pan making a giant mess, we would cut ours neatly with metal biscuit-cutters and gently place them on a baking sheet, brushing and sweeping stray flour as we go. In other words, these are a neatnik Northerner’s version of that iconic bread-thing. You might ask: Why not really keep it clean and purchase refrigerated dough in a tube or whipped cream in a can? But then, where is the magic?

When Piper and I took the time to whip our cream by hand that day, I was passing along a precious life skill. With careful attention to each detail, we placed our whisks and bowls in the freezer and measured out our additions. Then while the biscuits were still in the oven, we whipped at high speed, stopping and lifting the whisk occasionally to make sure the consistency was perfect—not too soupy and not thick like cheese—with soft peaks that fell back into the bowl. Piper even made hers twice, to get it just right. “Like I’ve had in restaurants,” she said.

My friend Cleo after demolishing most of a shortcake.

Now I can relax in the knowledge that when she is living her full-on grown-up life, Piper will be able to bring beautiful homemade whipped cream to the table, to serve alongside the perfect store-bought cakes and tarts she selects at the best bakery in town. It’s in the natural order, that she won’t have the time to bake cakes on the weekend.

The whole strawberry shortcake operation took about one-and-a-half hours that Sunday morning. Some things just can’t be rushed. Before signing off, I suggested that we each assemble one strawberry shortcake, so that Joe’s family would have a prototype for that evening’s dessert. Piper and Joe were game, so we each put a small plate on the counter.

On it, we each placed a biscuit bottom. Then we topped it with sliced berries and juice, dollops of whipped cream, and covered the whole mess with the other biscuit half. After several squeals of joy, I laughed, “Grandma’s on a special diet. No cake before noon.”

Then, in perfect Zoom synch, we both dug in, creating a moment to refer back to when times get complicated again.

The ultimate test.

A Bake Shop for Biscuits

The proprietor sorts through orders at biscuit heaven.

I would be remiss not to pass along a recommendation for the best, most addictive biscuits that you don’t have to make yourself. Drop everything and head to Savannah, Georgia, where my husband and I stumbled into the Back in the Day Bakery, on a road trip in the South. Owners Cheryl and Griffith Day serve a biscuit-based breakfast menu that is absolute perfection. High and flaky like Shirley’s but neat enough to hold rich sandwiches of bacon and cheddar cheese. Their recipes are collected in several cookbooks. Even better, they ship nationally.

Everything biscuit chez Back in the Day.

RECIPE

Classic Strawberry Shortcake

Berries

1 ½ pints strawberries, hulled and sliced or quartered
1 ½ Tbsps sugar

Combine strawberries and sugar in a bowl. Let sit at room temperature about 1 hour, or as long as 7 hours in the refrigerator.

Place the mixer’s balloon whisk in the freezer.

Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
2 cups heavy cream, cold
2 Tbsps butter
cinnamon sugar for sprinkling (1 Tbsp sugar + 1/4 tsp cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 425F. Have ready a plain baking sheet.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Mix well with a fork. Place on the stand with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on slowest setting, gradually pour in about 1 cup of the cream. Continue to add about 1/3 cup of the cream, a few drips at a time until the dough just holds together when pressed and is evenly moistened.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board and lightly knead about a minute. Pat the dough into a circle. Then with a lightly floured rolling pin, gently roll until about ½ -inch thick. Cut out biscuits with a 3-inch round cutter or glass dipped in flour.  Transfer to the uncoated pan.

Gather dough and lightly roll to form another circle. Cut out remaining biscuits and transfer to the sheet.

Melt the butter in the microwave for less than a minute. Brush the tops with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake about 17 minutes, until the tops are golden. Transfer to racks to cool. If making in advance, store in ziplock bag at room temperature up to a day. Freeze if holding longer. Reheat before serving.

Whipped Cream

1 ½ Tbsps confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Pour the remaining 2/3 cup cold cream in the mixing bowl with the cold whisk attachment. Whisk at low speed until the cream begins to thicken, then turn the speed to high. When thick enough for whisk to leave a trail, drizzle in confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and whisk at high speed until soft peaks form when the whisk is lifted. Whipped cream can be held in the refrigerator for a day.

To assemble the shortcakes:

Split each biscuit in half across the width. Place the bottoms on dessert plates. Spoon a generous portion of berries on top and spoon some syrup from the bottom of the bowl evenly over the berries. Spoon the whipped cream on top, and then cover with top piece to make a little sandwich. Serve. Makes 10