Red White and Blue Shortcake

One of my best summer memories is picking berries with my grandparents and my grandmother making strawberry shortcake. For the Fourth of July I decided to revisit this old fashioned favorite and dress it up a little for the holiday. So here is a simple shortcake recipe perfect for any summer fruit!

Shortcake

2 cups flour
1 tbsp and 1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup sugar (I use just a smidge more)
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs separated
½ cup milk
Dash of nutmeg

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, nutmeg and salt, cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbly. Add egg yolks and milk and mix well. This should make a soft dough. Place the dough between two pieces of cling wrap and roll out into a ¼ to ½ inch thickness and cut with a pastry cutter or cookie cutter. Whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks and brush the tops of the shortcakes then sprinkle the cakes with sugar and bake for 8-10 minutes in a 450 degree oven. If the butter starts becoming too soft in the dough wrap it in cling wrap and place it in the fridge for a few minutes so it can firm up. Don’t over handle the dough or it will become tough. Allow the shortcakes to completely cool before serving.

Fruit:

Sliced Strawberries ½ quart
Blueberries ½ pint

In separate bowls sprinkle a few tablespoons of sugar over the fruit. I gently squash some of the blueberries to release some juice. Then mix well and allow to sit for at least an hour. You can do this with any summer fruit.

Whipped cream:

I make my own by adding 1/4-1/2cup of sugar to heavy whipping cream and add some vanilla to make it a bit more luxurious.(You can buy it already made if you would rather.)

To serve:

Place 1 shortcake or 1 cut in half on a plate add some whipped cream and berries some more whipped cream and the other half of the shortcake or a second shortcake.