Honey Balsamic Strawberry Shortcake

Today is my mom's birthday, and I made her favorite dessert, strawberry shortcake. Strawberry season has come and gone in Florida, and all we can get in the store now are California strawberries. I think these are a distant second to in-season Florida strawberries (I'm sure that has everything to do with the fact that they are picked and shipped a few thousand miles before ending up on my table), but that's nothing a little sugar and whipped cream can't fix.

I decided to take a cue from Heather's salad and macerated the sliced strawberries in balsamic vinegar and honey to make the dessert extra special. Then I added a little sugar because, hey, it's dessert and my mom's birthday. I used a shortcake recipe from Southern Living, and they were a little lighter than what I've made before, and quite good. Strawberry shortcake is a pretty simple dessert to make. After slicing the strawberries, the shortcakes are really just a sweeter drop biscuit, and whipping the cream takes all of two minutes. 

Even if strawberry season is over here, strawberry shortcake always tastes like summer and I think it's a perfect dessert for a Memorial Day barbecue. It also travels well since you can just make ahead and pack all the elements separately and assemble once you're ready to eat. 

In the interest of full disclosure, let me say that one of the pictures here features 'whipped topping' rather than real whipped heavy cream. One of the people in my house prefers that, but let me just say that that person is wrong. Real whipped cream is so fast and easy and so much better than the canned stuff or what you buy in a tub. My mom and I both prefer it unsweetened, but feel free to add a little sugar. If you've never whipped cream yourself before, you need to try it; plus it's a fascinating science experiment for the kids. 

Honey Balsamic Strawberry Shortcake 

adapted from Classic Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry topping 

2 lbs fresh strawberries 

1 tablespoon honey 

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 

2-3 tablespoons sugar, to taste 

Shortcakes 

2 3/4 cups flour 

1/4 cup sugar 

4 teaspoons baking powder 

3/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces 

2 eggs 

8 ozs sour cream 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Whipped cream 

8 oz heavy whipping cream 

2 tablespoons sugar (optional) 

1. Preheat oven to 450 

2. Slice strawberries and put in medium bowl. Whisk together vinegar and honey, pour over strawberries and stir to combine. Sprinkle sugar over strawberries and stir, then refrigerate. 

3. Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or two forks. 

4. Whisk together eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and stir just until flour is moistened. 

5. Drop dough by 1/3 cupfuls onto a baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool.

6. Beat heavy cream at medium speed with an electric mixer until foamy, then add sugar if desired and beat until soft peaks form.

7. Split shortcakes, top with strawberries then whipped cream.