i love strawberries, they are so darn cute i cannot resist them. i have a confession to make though…i don’t like strawberry flavored things or that gross strawberry goop that comes on top of waffles at breakfast places (i like to refer to that as tongue-berry stuff or gudb (ground up dead baby…i know, i know, i am a terrible, not funny person)).
that aside, i love the real deal when it comes to strawberries. my mom loves fruit. she loves it, like could eat her own weight in peaches, strawberries, you name it. she always buys in season, delicious, ripe fruit in large quantities…like by the case or flat. she always guards her fruit stash with great care and shakes her head in shame when anything over ripens and goes to waste. i mean tears practically glisten in her eyes…it’s tragic. luckily, she had my brother and i around to help her gobble it all up. she’s not much of a baker i think she thinks it is too fussy…she’s a cook. but whenever strawberries started to show up on the roadside stands in california, she would always buy a couple flats and we would have strawberry shortcake. now, to my mom, that consists of store bought angel food cake, sliced berrries and whipped cream. i, however, like the biscuit approach. the strawberry juices don’t dominate the cake that way. in any incarnation, i love it. it is springtime-turning-into-summer-time, long evenings and good company.
which makes this perfect for a bbq, which is exactly what it was intended for…had it not snowed on sunday, wind howling and everything, after a whole week of brilliant 65-70 degree weather. typical. it would have been the perfect bbq for the first weekend of spring if the weather had cooporated, but at the very least, dessert was a success.
balsamic strawberry syrup
instead of macerating the berries in sugar, i made a balsamic syrup…since balsamic and berries is one of my favorite combinations. i love, love it.
1 cup strawberries, stemmed, hulled and sliced
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean
gut the vanilla bean (haha) and add seeds and pot along with other ingredients to a medium saucepan. heat over medium, mashing the berries as they begin to soften. cook until reduced by about a third (more if you want a thicker syrup), strain and cool. toss with fresh berries, i stored the extra in a jar in the refrigerator. i like to use a little in vinegarettes.
brown sugar almond biscuits
adapted from baking:from my home to yours
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
1/2 cup cold sour cream
1/4 cup cold whole milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup slivered almonds
center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. get out a 2-inch biscuit cutter, and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together in a bowl. stir in the brown sugar, making certain there are no lumps. drop in the butter, and using your fingers, toss and coat the pieces of butter with the flour. quickly, working with your fingertips (my favorite method) or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. you’ll have pea sized pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes, and pieces the size of everything in between- and that’s just right.
stir the sour cream and milk and almond extract together and pour over the dry ingredients. grab a fork and gently toss and turn the ingredients together until you’ve got a nice soft dough. now reach into the bowl with your hands and give the dough a quick gently kneading- 3 or 4 turns should be enough to bring everything together. toss in the almonds and knead another 2 or 3 times to incorporate them.
lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. dust the top of the dough very lightly with flour and pat the dough out with your hands or roll it with a pin until it is about 1/2 inch high. don’t worry if the dough isn’t completely even- a quick light touch is more important that accuracy.
use the biscuit cutter to cut out as many biscuits as you can. try to cut the biscuits close to one another so you get the most out of the first round. by hand, or with a small spatula, transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet. gather together the scraps, working them as little as possible, pat out to a 1/2 inch thickness and cut as many additional biscuits as you can; transfer to baking sheet. (the biscuits can be made at this point and frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight and kept in the freezer for up to 2 months. bake without defrosting, just add a couple more minutes to the oven time.)
bake the biscuits for 14-18 minutes, or until they are tall, puffed and golden brown. transfer them to a serving basket, and serve immediately topped with strawberries and fresh whipped cream.
Elyse
Oh, Cindy! These look fabulous. We must be on the same wavelength with our love for strawberries and need to incorporate them into baking! Man oh man, everything about this breakfast/anytime meal looks totally wonderful. Strawberries are such little treasures!
Irene
I am like your mom, I could eat my weight in fruit. Gorgeous, gorgeous photos!
Sophie
OOOH Cindy, This combination looks beautifully yummie!!
I can’t wait until it is summer to try this recipes with the fresh strawberries!! Yum yum yum,….
onesilentwinter
i love berries, but i agree i like um barely touched!
Hayley
That syrup sounds incredible! I would love to incorporate it into an ice cream recipe. And those biscuits are beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
Ingrid
Like you cindy I can’t stand strawberry “flavored” anything. It is too articially sweet tasting. If I’m eating strawberries its the fresh ones!
I’m excited to see the recipe for balsamic strawberries. I tried some one day and the grocery store but neglected to pick up the recipe card. THX!
~ingrid
Sophie
Oh how I do miss BBQs; the weather here hasn’t been very cooperative either. I also love love loooove strawberries. They are cute, I really like how you’ve used them here, and the presentation is simply beautiful :), as always.
Hannah
i love your pictures so much! and that syrup looks so good. i think i have to make it!
Bonbon Oiseau
i am with you on the strawberry action! unadorned and unadulterated–ok sometimes a wee sprinkling of sugar…they remind me o my mom too…and the biscuit combo looks divine!