Strawberry Shortcakes

Worth the time it takes to make!

Ingredients

SHORTCAKES
5 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or shortening

2 cups milk
STRAWBERRIES
2 quarts fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
WHIPPED CREAM
1 pint whipping cream
2 tbsp. maple syrup, or 1 tsp. vanilla, or a few tsps. sugar

Instructions

To make the shortcakes: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and sugar together in a large bowl. Slice the margarine sticks into pats and add to the dry mixture. Using a handheld pastry cutter or your fingertips, cut the pats into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Avoid overmixing. Make a small well in the center of the flour and pour the milk into it. Stir just until the mixture holds together. If the dough appears too sticky, sprinkle in a little more flour.
Turn the shortcake dough onto a lightly floured countertop or pastry cloth and pat gently in a 1 inch thick circle, handling it as little as possible. Do not knead the dough; doing so will make the shortcake biscuits heavy.
Use a biscuit cutter or inverted cup to cut out the shortcakes and arrange about an inch and a half apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool before serving.
To make the berries: Wash and hull the strawberries and slice them into a glass bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar. Stir a few times, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve. The strawberries will release some juice and make a light syrup. Stir once again before spooning the berries on top of the shortcakes.
To make the whipped cream: Before whipping the cream, place a stainless steel bowl in the freezer for a little while to chill. Pour the whipping cream into the chilled mixing bowl. Add the maple syrup and whip with an electric mixer or a whisk until stiff. Keep refrigerated until you're ready to serve the dessert.
To serve the shortcake, split the biscuits into halves. Spoon some of the strawberries and syrup onto the bottom halves. Cover with the remaining shortcake halves and spoon more of the strawberries on top. Top with the whipped cream and garnish with fresh blueberries. Makes 10 to 12 servings.