COOKING WITH ILYSSE

Strawberry girls: short and sweet

By Ilysse Rimalovski

Early in June, sweetness is smiling little faces stained with strawberry juice. Strawberry shortcake, the quintessential American pastry layered with whipped cream and sliced berries, is an ode to the start of berry-picking season.

The strawberry shortcake that my grandfather knew, plucked from his bakery’s refrigerated display case somewhere in Queens, was tall and fluffy but never tasted as good as it looked. The halved berries, encased in thick white creamy icing, lacked integrity.

The vast majority of the country’s commercially grown strawberries come from California, optimized for weeks of travel and refrigeration rather than for taste. The cooling process can compromise the fruit’s texture and aroma and turn any tender berry mealy.

Unlike those sold in plastic clamshells at supermarkets, the strawberry varieties favored by New Jersey farmers are bred for their delicate skins and concentrated flavor, best eaten the day they are picked. With limited shelf life, they require handling with extra care. Their shape is smaller and less uniform.

The local pick-your-own season generally runs from mid-to-late May through mid-June, depending heavily on the weather. Learning how to select the berries that are most flavorful but not overripe is a skill that grows with experience.

Rows of strawberry plants invite pickers to peek beneath the mounded leaves, resisting the temptation to choose the reddest berries that may be too delicate to stack in the container. “Only every other strawberry actually makes it into the basket,” recalls Elyse Wolfe, a local mom and Compass real estate agent nostalgic for such family outings. “The truest joy is watching your strawberry-loving children eating their way through the fields.”

In my family, many June birthdays were celebrated with strawberry shortcake at Alstede Farms in Chester after a day of picking, wagon rides and farm activities. My elder daughter, Lila, a strawberry blonde, now 29 years old, remembers “warm berries in the sunshine, giggling on hay bales and no worry in the world.”

Maybe living the good life is as simple as a forkful of strawberry shortcake.

Made with flaky, golden homemade biscuits, the original American shortcake derives its name from the rich doughs typical of 19th century baking. The word “short” means high in fat, which creates a crumbly texture. The sponge cake version came later, a commercial convenience that, like the California strawberry, was designed for mass production rather than flavor.

The recipe for strawberry shortcake below is the traditional version, relying upon the biscuit’s salt, butter and structure to contrast the sweetness of macerated berries and whipped cream. It absorbs the juices without going soggy. A truly ripe, just-picked Jersey berry deserves the biscuit.

For a quick version, however, you may substitute homemade biscuits with store-bought sponge cake, pound cake, muffins or scones.

If you have extra berries, especially those too bruised to keep their shape, make a strawberry sauce in a pot on the stove. Simmer the berries together with a splash of water and sprinkle of sugar. This mixture can be drizzled on the shortcakes, pancakes, vanilla ice cream or even mixed with seltzer for a refreshing strawberry spritz.

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Strawberry Shortcake

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Biscuit Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus some for dusting

1½ tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1 cup whole milk

¼ cup heavy cream (for brushing biscuit tops)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl.

2. Using a box grater, grate cold butter directly into the flour mixture and combine using a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture resembles rough crumbs. Add milk and stir with a fork until it forms a rough ball. (Alternatively, transfer the flour mixture to a food processor. Cut butter into pats and add to flour, then pulse five or six times until the mixture resembles rough crumbs. Return dough to bowl and add milk, stirring with a fork until it forms a rough ball.)

3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and pat into a rectangle, about an inch thick. Fold it over and gently pat again, repeating two more times. Drape dough with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

4. Gently pat dough into a rectangle approximately 10 by 6 inches, trimming away any uneven edges with a floured chef’s knife. Cut dough into six or eight even biscuits.

5. Place biscuits on a cookie sheet. Brush tops with heavy cream and bake until golden (10 to 15 minutes).

Whipped Cream

For best results, start with cold heavy cream and a chilled bowl and whisk (or attachment if using an electric mixer).

Ingredients

1 cup cold heavy cream

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Using a whisk or mixer, beat heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until thickened (3 to 4 minutes). Do not overbeat into stiff peaks. Refrigerate until needed.

Strawberry Filling

Note: Farm-fresh berries may need little or no added sugar depending on ripeness, so taste first, then adjust with sugar if too tart.

Ingredients

2 pints ripe freshly picked strawberries, rinsed and dried

2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

Sprigs of fresh mint, optional garnish

Directions

1. Hull cleaned strawberries, then cut in half or slice thinly.

2. In a bowl, gently crush a quarter of the berries with a fork or fingers to release juices.

3. Mix in sliced berries and sugar, adjusting according to taste.

4. Set aside, covered, for 30 minutes to deepen flavor. Do not refrigerate.

Directions for Assembly

1. Using fingers, separate a biscuit evenly in half and place on a dessert plate.

2. Onto the bottom half, spoon a dollop of whipped cream and approximately ½ cup of strawberries with juice.

3. Place another dollop of whipped cream on top of the berries and place the biscuit lid on top. Garnish with a sprig of mint or extra berries. Serve with a fork and knife.

Marlo Rimalovski, Lila Rimalovski and Sophie Charlap enjoy their

harvest at Alstede Farms many Junes ago.

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Ilysse Rimalovski is a well-seasoned home chef and writer focusing on food, community and care. Do you have a story to share? Please email forilysse@icloud.com.