short on wednesday...

ok, ok!! absolutely no height comments allowed from those of you who know me & my height-challenged stature! by short i am referring to the what's cooking wednesday recipe... around here the strawberry season is in full swing& a special request from boyworld was strawberry shortcake. no problem! this recipe is based on one that i inherited from my aunt F. she & my aunt B. taught me all kinds of baking secrets in my teens & twenties. in my thirties my good friend B. helped me go a bit deeper with baking skills. & now...there is the internet with a whole world of information to help one hone culinary skills. today's recipe is a composite of all three...my aunt gave me the base recipe, B. suggested changing from milk to cream for the liquid, & somewhere along my internet recipe reading, i picked up the idea to use citrus zest in the batter.

& here is the end result...it received the boyworld seal of approval, as evidenced by the disappearance of the entire batch within 2 hours!

Strawberry Shortcake

preheat oven to 375 & prepare a baking sheet

mix together 1 3/4 c. flour, 5 T. sugar, 1 T. baking powder, & 2 pinches salt

cut in 1/4 cold butter until mix is crumbly with pea-size lumps

add 1 c. milk or cream (cream really does make a difference) & the zest from 1 lemon OR 1 orange...mix into a ball then knead 5-6 times on floured surface

roll dough & use a 2-3" round cutter...gather dough scraps & reroll until completely used

place on prepared baking sheet, brush tops with cream & sprinkle with raw sugar

bake 15-17 minutes, until lightly browned

serve with fresh berries & cream...may add sugar, mint &/or citrus zest to berries...LA DOLCE VITA!!!