Don’t let the season go by without making strawberry shortcake

On a recent visit to see my son at the University of California, Davis, I wandered into a lab at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science … as one does. A bunch of students were preparing for a tasting to evaluate some of the strawberry breeds they have been developing.

My food nerd heart swelled, and for the first time in decades, I missed school.

When strawberries are in season, it is incumbent upon us to make the most of those fleeting weeks.

And I can’t think of a better way to put them to use than in a classic strawberry shortcake. If you can find wild strawberries, or at least really flavorful ones from a farmers market (or if you are getting your PhD in food studies with a concentration in strawberries in California), this treat is nothing short of heavenly.

There is nothing difficult about strawberry shortcake. A few components come together in a gorgeous stack of sweetness.

I like my shortcake biscuits slightly sweet, but not overly sugary. The natural sweetness in the sliced strawberries will be augmented with a bit of sugar to amp up those ruby red juices. Plus there’s the whipped cream, which can be as sweet or restrained as you like.

Cut out the biscuits as close together as you can, with as little dough left behind on the cutting board as possible. Yes, you can roll the scraps up and cut out another couple of circles, but the more you handle the dough the less tender it becomes.

The tops of the biscuits are brushed with a bit of half-and-half or milk and sprinkled with sugar before they go into the oven, resulting in a beautifully browned and slightly crunchy top.

Make biscuits with some height to them, as you will be cutting them horizontally and then filling them with the strawberries and cream.

I like a double-decker strawberry shortcake, which definitely requires a knife and fork.

To assemble: The bottom half of the biscuit goes first, then some whipped cream, then strawberries. Then the top half of the biscuit. And then, yes, more whipped cream and more strawberries.

The addition of sour cream to the whipped cream is a pastry chef hack that I learned over the years. It adds more richness, stability and body to the whipped cream, and gives the whole shebang a whole other layer of lushness.

Serves 6

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted

6 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

¾ cup half-and-half or whole milk

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 pints (4 cups) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

2 tablespoons sour cream, crème fraiche or mascarpone (optional)

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Very lightly flour a clean counter or work surface.

2. Combine the flour with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or use your fingers to rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Or, pulse the butter into the flour mixture in a food processor.

3. Add the ¾ cup half-and-half or milk and stir until just barely combined. Turn the mixture onto the lightly floured surface. Use your hands to lightly mix the dough until it barely holds together. Pat it out into a circle or a rectangle 1/2-inch thick.

4. Use a 3-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut out the shortcakes, keeping them as close together as possible to minimize extra dough. Use a sharp biscuit cutter rather than a glass, and press down and pull straight up, without twisting; twisting will hinder their rising as they bake. If you dip the biscuit cutter in flour between each biscuit cutting, it will help prevent sticking. Collect the scraps and re-pat them out into a ½-inch disk, and cut out another 2 or 4 circles when you are done. Try to handle the dough as little as possible.

5. Butter a baking sheet or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer half the biscuits to the sheet. Brush the tops with a bit of the melted butter. Top the butter-brushed dough with the remaining cut-out biscuits. Brush the tops with a bit of milk or half-and-half. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the shortcakes.

6. Bake for about 15 minutes, until light golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

7. Meanwhile, put the berries in a medium bowl and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, or to taste. Toss with a fork, and lightly crush some of the berries so you have some different textures going on and some of the juices are released. Let the berries sit for at least 15 minutes.

8. Once the berries are macerating, make the whipped cream. Place the heavy cream, sour cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla in a clean bowl (if you chill it first, the cream will whip up faster.)

9. Use a whisk or a handheld electric mixer on high speed to beat the cream until it starts to form stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.

10. Just before serving, cut each biscuit crosswise. Place the bottom halves on plates, layer on some strawberries, then some whipped cream. Replace the top of the shortcake, then spoon over some more strawberries and whipped cream. Serve immediately.