This recipe bears little resemblance to the shortcake made in the "city" with a sponge or angel food cake base with strawberries and whipped cream. It is, instead, a formula straight from my family, made by my mother and her mother and her mother before that. The recipe must have fresh, ripe strawberries and is therefore possible only in late May and early June when strawberries are at their peak.
Start by hulling strawberries and cutting them in half (or quarters, if they are large), leaving some whole for garnish. Sprinkle these liberally with sugar and set aside. Place the rest of the strawberries in another bowl, sprinkle liberally with sugar and mash them partially with a potato masher. You want to get lots of the strawberry juice, essential to the overall taste and texture of the shortcake, but don't mash them until they become mushy. Set the bowl aside. Leave some butter out to come to room temperature.
Make biscuits. You can do this with your favorite biscuit recipe so long as its not a fancy one...no cheese, no seeds, just plain biscuit dough. Use Bisquick if you like, or buy biscuits in a log that you open explosively; the shortcake will taste the same with either. You can make individual biscuits or you can put the dough in a cake tin, filling it completely. Bake in the oven according to your recipe or the recipe on the Bisquick box. The trick is in the timing. You want the finished biscuit to come out of the oven just when you are ready to put the shortcake together. It should be warm when served.
Now cut the finished biscuit in half (either individual ones, or one big one) and spread each open face liberally with the soft butter. Spoon crushed strawberries on the bottom half, being sure to use plenty of the juice, and put the top of the biscuit back on the bottom. Spoon the rest of the strawberries and juice on the top. Garnish with the saved, whole strawberries. Serve at once.
If you are using one big buscuit, cut the whole into slices as for any cake. The quantity of strawberries needed depends on which way you're making this and for the number of guests you are serving but it's always better to have too many strawberries than not enough.
Start by hulling strawberries and cutting them in half (or quarters, if they are large), leaving some whole for garnish. Sprinkle these liberally with sugar and set aside. Place the rest of the strawberries in another bowl, sprinkle liberally with sugar and mash them partially with a potato masher. You want to get lots of the strawberry juice, essential to the overall taste and texture of the shortcake, but don't mash them until they become mushy. Set the bowl aside. Leave some butter out to come to room temperature.
Make biscuits. You can do this with your favorite biscuit recipe so long as its not a fancy one...no cheese, no seeds, just plain biscuit dough. Use Bisquick if you like, or buy biscuits in a log that you open explosively; the shortcake will taste the same with either. You can make individual biscuits or you can put the dough in a cake tin, filling it completely. Bake in the oven according to your recipe or the recipe on the Bisquick box. The trick is in the timing. You want the finished biscuit to come out of the oven just when you are ready to put the shortcake together. It should be warm when served.
Now cut the finished biscuit in half (either individual ones, or one big one) and spread each open face liberally with the soft butter. Spoon crushed strawberries on the bottom half, being sure to use plenty of the juice, and put the top of the biscuit back on the bottom. Spoon the rest of the strawberries and juice on the top. Garnish with the saved, whole strawberries. Serve at once.
If you are using one big buscuit, cut the whole into slices as for any cake. The quantity of strawberries needed depends on which way you're making this and for the number of guests you are serving but it's always better to have too many strawberries than not enough.
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