bourbon strawberry shortcakes
…With whipped creme fraiche and homemade buttermilk biscuits. Lucky you.
In college, I used to bake buttermilk biscuits quite a lot. Before I really cared too much about nutrition and balancing my diet, I’d bake up a batch some mornings and eat one or two with ham, cheese, and butter. Sometimes, I opted for the fruit preserve route. I didn’t particularly grow up with an abundance of biscuits (that should be a children’s book) but for some reason, the comfort of a flaky baked good really appealed to me.
J and I have made biscuits and gravy maybe once since I moved in with him. It’s an extremely rich indulgence I try not to create often, though I’d at least omit the sausage for veggies and probably mushrooms given a day’s craving. I did go through a dumpling phase on FMG, though, with vegetable dumpling soup and mushrooms and dumplings. I suppose, then, there’s a latent biscuit lover in me somewhere.
My serious love for strawberries combined with a desire for a simplistic fika this week inspired these Bourbon Strawberry Shortcakes. Oh, and the Lemon Sugar Dutch Baby from a couple weeks ago, cos those little scarlet gems atop the bubbly pancake were otherworldly. Creme fraiche adds a unique, tangy twist to a classic whipped cream – shoutout to mom for sending me away with a homemade batch – and should definitely make your rotation of repeat dessert accompaniments. A dollop on ice cream or a slice of key lime cheesecake? Yes, please.
I’m Not Short, I’m Fun Sized
I begin with the strawberries since the longer they infuse, the more potent the flavors become. I use a mix of bourbon, lemon zest, and honey for a kick of sweetness and smoky sass. Toss sliced berries in the infusion and set them in the fridge while you work on the rest.
This is my favorite buttermilk biscuit recipe yet. They grow huge in the oven and boast a beautiful layered aesthetic. The trick to this? The folding process. I’ll outline what I do in a sec.
First, mix up the batter. Flour, baking powder, and salt first, then cut in your cold butter. Grated butter works better in my opinion than cubed, so before I even start the berries I work the sticks through a box grater and set them back in the fridge to chill. Your butter must be cold, else the biscuits won’t rise properly. As far as the cutting goes, I typically use my hands until the dough takes on a gritty texture.
Next, stream in some buttermilk. I actually cheated and combined whole milk with half a teaspoon of vinegar because I didn’t want to buy a bigass jug of buttermilk. This worked beautifully for me, but if you have proper buttermilk already, use that. I set a range of 1 1/2-2 cups of milk in the recipe card in case your batter behaves differently, which it might. I needed about 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons for my dough.
Bet, Fold
I’m glad kids have abandoned the whole “bet” thing they used to spew around a couple years ago. I don’t even know what the context was, and honestly don’t care, but it annoyed me. Like most things nowadays.
Anywho…Dump your dough onto a clean, floured surface and pat into a rectangle. Then, engage the envelope fold: one short side towards the center, the second overtop. Rotate the dough a quarter turn, pat into another rectangle, and repeat twice more. Slice into biscuits and set onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze 15 minutes to reconstitute the butter since it probably warmed up while you handled the dough.
Brush the biscuits with buttermilk and bake 12-15 minutes. They poof up so much. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.
Whip(cream)lash
Once the biscuits cool down, whip the whip. Heh. Heavy cream, creme fraiche, powdered sugar, and vanilla, beaten together until creamy and plush. Give the beater a lick or two.
Slice the biscuits in half, top with berries and cream, and serve with a cute pastry fork to slice.
Biscuits freeze extremely well, if you have some left unassembled. The berries and whip will last about 5 days in the fridge.
Quintessential summer party food. Kids will love building their own shortcakes – just leave some berries without bourbon if you’re concerned about child welfare calls, and sub with lemon juice – and adults will gobble up those fruits in a flash. Great with tea, too. Just great.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
bourbon strawberry shortcakes
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 sticks very cold butter, grated
- 1 1/2-2 cups buttermilk
bourbon strawberries
- 2 cups strawberries, sliced
- 1 tbsp bourbon
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp lemon zest
whipped creme fraiche
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup creme fraiche
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, toss the strawberries with the bourbon, honey, and lemon zest. Set in the fridge while you make the rest of the dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold grated butter with a fork, a pastry cutter, or your fingers until you achieve a sandy texture with pieces no larger than a pea remaining. Gently stream in 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk and stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy but cohesive, soft dough forms. If needed, add buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve the right texture.
- Drop the dough onto a floured sugar and pat into a rectangle 1-inch thick. Fold one of the short edges to the center of the dough, then fold the second short edge overtop. Like an envelope. Even though I've never seen an envelope like that…Rotate the dough a quarter turn and pat into a rectangle again. Repeat two more times with the folding and rotating. Take care not to overstretch the dough else you'll lose the pretty flaky layers.
- Slice the dough into 12-16 biscuits and set onto the baking sheet. Freeze 15 minutes. When ready to bake, remove from the freezer and brush with additional buttermilk. Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown and puffed. Transfer to a wire rack and cool about 20 minutes.
- For the whip: beat the heavy cream with the creme fraiche, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form, about 4-5 minutes.
- Slice biscuits in half and arrange strawberries on the bottom slab. Spoon whipped cream overtop and drizzle with any liquid from the strawberries. Top with the second piece of biscuit. Enjoy!
