By Susan Cole Dore

“Mama’s little baby loves short’n, short’n, Mama’s little baby loves short’n bread.”

Yes, indeed I do. Crumbly biscuits, barely sweet scones, and buttermilk cornbread are heavenly manna to the granddaughter of superb bakers who thought nothing of whipping up a batch of delectable quick bread to make a meal.

As a result, I always celebrate my April birthday, not with traditional birthday cake but with strawberry shortcake, just as my grandmothers so lovingly baked for me.

Strawberry shortcake is a classic American dessert of infinite variation. Fresh fruit, sprinkled with sugar and draped with a cloud of whipped cream tops what is, at its most elemental, a glorified biscuit swimming in the fruits of spring and early summer. Although some folks associate strawberry shortcake with delicate sponge cake or rich, buttery pound cake, I believe that the best foundation for fresh fruit and cream is a true shortcake composed of two cups of flour to ¬Ω cup of either shortening or butter. My Southern ancestors often used lard for shortcake, and I am told that it produced the best results. Baking powder is almost always the leavening of choice, and most recipes call for heavy cream or sweet, whole milk.

The very best shortcakes are dropped, not rolled, and baked in a hot oven to form crisp, golden peaks that perfectly hold every ounce of fruit essence and cream.

The creative preparation of the fruit by generations of cooks has made the shortcake a beloved staple of the spring time and summer table. In Louisiana, St. Tammany Parish-grown strawberries appear in markets as early as late February, and by April the berries reach their flavorful peak. Louisiana strawberries are rarely shipped far from the West Florida loam in which they grow, so to enjoy them at their succulent best is a privilege.

My grandmothers prepared fresh-from-the-field berries very simply. Their method? Wash and hull the berries, halve them, sprinkle the berries with sugar, and toss a few curls of lemon zest into the mix. Cover the bowl, stash it in the refrigerator, and generously ladle the fruit and its nectar over the shortcake when ready to serve.

As I have come to know the ways of creative cooks, I have come to adore variations on my strawberry topping. Strawberries prepped with a smidgen of powdered sugar, laced with Grand Marnier or Cointreau, and sprinkled with a flurry of chopped mint are fine toppings for crumbly cakes. Let us now segue to the cream

The cream that tops the quintessential short cake must be whipped to a heady froth with a bit of sugar and vanilla. The addition of vanilla plays so well against the acidity of the strawberries that I never eliminate it from my shortcake cream. On the subject of cream, I must mention ice cream. Although not considered a traditional component of strawberry shortcake, nothing is more delicious than a scoop of soft homemade vanilla ice cream nestled next to a berry-strewn shortcake. Accompanying ice cream variations could include lemon, fresh strawberry, or caramel.

April is a beautiful month in Louisiana; it is a time of blooming azaleas, bountiful crawfish harvests, and delectable strawberries. I feel blessed to celebrate my birthday with the best dessert I know: strawberry shortcake!

GRANDMOTHER’S SHORTCAKE

Filed Under: Food Talk