Roasted Strawberry Shortcake with Whipped Cream Biscuits

Roasted strawberries? Never heard of it. Whipped cream biscuits? I love whipped cream, I love biscuits. Whipped cream topping that includes sour cream? I couldn't resist.

Roasting the strawberries makes them sweeter and deepens their ruby red color. The whipped cream in the biscuits adds a velvety sweetness. The sour cream in the whipped topping adds a delicate tang and body. This is now my designated shortcake recipe. So good!

This gem is in my 2007 Fine Cooking Annual cookbook.

Roasted Strawberry Shortcake with Whipped Cream Biscuits

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups chilled heavy (whipping) cream, divided, plus more for brushing

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 quart ripe strawberries, cleaned, hulled

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

These biscuits work up pretty quickly. They're best fresh out of the oven, but I ate them a couple of days afterwards, and they still tasted wonderful, though the texture was not optimal.

About an hour before you want these beauties, preheat your oven to 425F. Grease a large baking sheet (I used parchment paper; it's so much neater), set aside.

In a large bowl, add the flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, beat 1 cup of the cream until the cream can hold soft peaks. Keep a careful eye here, you don't want butter. Lift the beaters, the top of the peaks will fold gently fold over. Add the vanilla and beat until just combined.

Make a well in the center of your flour mixture. Add the whipped cream, and using a fork, stir until the mixture begins to hold together. (This is the secret of successful biscuits; try not to overwork the dough!) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a half dozen times or so. Pat the dough until it's about 1/2 inch thick. Using a three-inch cookie cookie cutter, cut out a total of six biscuits. Gather the scraps as necessary and reshape. You could also just pat the dough into a nice rectangle and cut with a sharp knife.

Use a bit of cream to brush the tops of the biscuits. Sprinkle with a little sugar. Place the biscuits on the baking sheet and then bake until golden brown about 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer biscuits to a cooling rack.

Roasted Strawberries

Increase the oven temperature to 450F. In a medium bowl add the strawberries with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Toss to coat strawberries with the sugar. Place strawberries and the sugar into a square or oblong casserole dish or baking sheet. Place into the oven, stirring every five minutes or so, for about fifteen minutes. Berries will be soft, sweet, and fragrant.

Whipped Cream

In a small mixing bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup whipping cream, sour cream, and confectioners' sugar. Beat until soft peaks are formed.

To serve, split each biscuit horizontally (using a fork as if splitting English muffins), and laying the bottom half on a serving plate. Spoon on some strawberries and luscious roasted strawberry syrup, a generous dollop of cream, crown with the biscuit top. A little extra whipped cream and strawberry probably wouldn't be too overindulgent.