Summertime Jewels

One of the delights of eating seasonally is the anticipation of summer fruits. On our island, we wait for berry season all year, looking forward to the time when we'll be standing outside under blue skies eating berries warmed by that returning sun. As school schedules come to an end and the days start to heat up, strawberries, the jewel of berry season, finally return. We snatch them off the plants before squirrels do. We line up early at the market and farmstand to get our flats. We wait patiently for our neighbors to confess that they have too many and could we possibly help them out by taking some. (We can.)

Many islanders have a jam ritual or other way they like to preserve these tastes of summer, but I would make a case for enjoying as many strawberries as you possibly can while they're fresh and perfectly ripe. Does it get any better than local berries eaten at the height of summer? They really need no preparation. Sure, I stash a few in the freezer for dreary February days, but mostly I just eat them as fast and as greedily as possible, right out of hand.

Some seasonal dishes though just won't be denied. They live in our memories and in the nostalgic part of our souls and stomachs. Strawberry shortcake is one of those and also happily presents berries just as they are - fresh, sliced, ready to stop the show. Below are two shortcakes recipes for you to try when you find yourself rich in berries. The first, for the shortcake purists, makes a barely sweet biscuit with a delicate crumb, ready to catch all the berry juices. The second, a chocolate variation, is a nice surprise and pairs the berries with another companionable flavor.

Making and freezing shortcakes ahead of time is a great trick. When cool, simply pop them in a freezer bag and you'll always be ready for a spontaneous beach picnic, porch sitting with friends, or a little personal dessert moment.

Traditional Strawberry Shortcake
Makes 8 generous servings
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt (or a scant 1/2 tsp. table salt)
2 tbls. sugar
2 tsp. lemon or orange zest (optional)
4 tbls. unsalted butter, cold
1 1/3 cup cream
To top: one or two pints of summer strawberries, whipped cream

1. Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Stir in the zest, if using.
3. Slice the butter into rough pieces and sprinkle this into your dry ingredients. Stir briefly with a fork, then get ready to get your hands in there.
4. "Cut in" the butter by squishing the sprinkled butter pieces with your fingers and mixing it a bit as you go. Continue to crumble and mix with your hands until you have an uneven, clumpy looking mixture. (Alternatively, briefly pulse the dry ingredients and the butter in a food processor.)
5. Drizzle in the cream and gently fold with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon just until it looks mixed and not a moment longer. (Overmixing will damage the delicate crumb and springiness.)
6. Sprinkle a bit of flour on your workspace and turn the dough out onto it. Pat into a rectangle, about 1 inch thick.
7. Cut into eight pieces or use a shaped cutter and, with a metal spatula, transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. If you have scraps, bring them together, make a new rectangle and begin again.
8. Bake for 25 minutes at 350F.
9. Cool, slice in half, top, and serve as you like.

Chocolate Shortcake
Use the same ingredient list as above, omitting the zest. Reduce the cream to 1 cup.
Add:
1 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips, divided

1. Heat 1 cup of cream in a small pot over low heat just until you see bubbles on the edges. Turn off the heat and add 1/2 cup chocolate chips, jiggling the pan just a bit to make sure all the chips are down in the cream. Immediately cover with a lid and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Using a whisk, mix well until satiny and smooth. Set aside to cool.
2. Mix the dry ingredients as in the traditional shortcake, then cut in the butter.
3. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
4. When the chocolate cream has cooled, pour and fold it gently into the dry ingredients.
5. Finish the recipe in the same way as traditional shortcake.

To prepare the berries:
Wash, stem, and slice half of the beautiful berries that you have. Add to a bowl or jar with about 2-3 tablespoons sugar per pint of berries. Refrigerate for at least a few hours until you have some collected juices. Right before serving, slice your remaining berries and add these to the macerated berries.

With whip? Of course.
To make a basic whipped cream for 8 shortcakes, whip 2 c. cream with 1/2 cup sugar. Flavor your cream with a little vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons amaretto, or other favorite flavor. Scale up or down as needed or swap in vanilla ice cream for true summertime decadence.

One of the delights of eating seasonally is the anticipation of summer fruits. Strawberries, a jewel of early summer, come out as school is winding down and the summer sun is ramping up. Our island growing seasons comes on strong with the strawberries. Sun warmed off the vine. basket gifted from a neighbor. A perfect one snatched before the squirrels. Lining up for the market or farmstand early to splurge on a flat

Sure you can jam them and freeze them for later, but eating strawberries fresh

Freezer trick

The first recipe is a traditional, biscuit-like shortcake. The second is for a chocolate version of the classic dessert. Feel free to play with shape or size. Either dough can be cut with a cookie cutter instead of sliced, patted together gently, and rerolled. With either recipe, my favorite method is to make up a double batch, bake, cool, and freeze to have on hand.

Strawberry shortcake might just be one of those recipes that goes right to that part of your brain and heart that scream summer. How could you eat this any other time of year? Maybe you're a purest and you've got to have a fluffy biscuit with a side of sunshine. Maybe you're willing to branch out a bit and try another way to cherish those fresh berries. The recipes