Monday, August 27, 2012

Strawberry Shortcake with Custard

This is our favorite type of shortcake which is a biscuit type recipe instead of a sweet cake recipe. So if you are looking for a sweet cake, don't use this one.

1/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1 beaten egg
2/3 cup milk

Stir together sugar, flour, and baking powder. Cut in butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine egg and mild; add all at once to dry ingredients. Stir just to moisten. Spread into a greased 8x11/2-inch round baking pan, building up edge slightly. When I double the recipe, I put it in a rectangle baking dish. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes or till toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Split into 2 layers. Spoon the fruit and whipped cream between layers and over the top. Serve immediately. Serves 8.

For a twist on this shortcake recipe, we like a custard filling between the layers with the fruit, and the whipped cream with the fruit on top. The custard recipe is:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups milk
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 T. butter softened
1 T. vanilla
Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a pan, add milk and cook on medium heat stirring constantly or cook in a double boiler to keep it from burning on the bottom. When it becomes thick, whisk a little of the mixture into the egg yolks. Continue adding more of the mixture while whisking until the eggs become warm/hot. Pour the egg mixture into the hot pan and stir until it slightly boils. Cook for 1 minute. Add the 2 T. of butter and 1 T. of vanilla. Stir.  Pour the custard mixture into another bowl that is sitting in ice water. Cover with plastic wrap as it it cooling to prevent a hard film on the top. Once it is cooled, put a dollop of custard between the shortcake layers with a few sliced sweet strawberries (if you want to put a little sugar on the strawberries to sweeten them up, go ahead. We usually don't unless the strawberries are really tart). Put more strawberries on top with fresh whipped cream. 
Eat and enjoy!!


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