Strawberry Shortcake

A couple of weeks ago, on Friday after school, my daughter wanted to cook something for dessert "all by herself". Since strawberries are abundant in the farmer's market ('tis the season!), we happened to have all the ingredients to make a summer favorite, Strawberry Shortcake. Using Nigella Lawson's recipe (slightly modified below), and with a little supervision, but no actual help from me in the preparation, it was a cinch for her to make from start to finish. It was a proud and delicious accomplishment! 

There is going to be a Strawberry Shortcake eating contest at our local Farmer's Market this Saturday. Hmmmm....










FOR THE DOUGH
2 1/3 cups (325g) flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp sugar
8Tbsp (4 oz/115g) unsalted butter, frozen
1 free-range egg, beaten
1/4 cup (60ml) heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup (60ml) milk

1 egg white, beaten

FOR THE FILLING
1 1/2 cups (300g) fresh strawberries, tops cut off and roughly chopped
1 Tbsp sugar
a few drops of balsamic vinegar, optional
1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream or creme fraiche

• Preheat oven to 450°F (220°C).
• Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and 3 Tbsp sugar in a bowl. 
• Grate the butter into this mix, stirring with a fork to incorporate the butter in from time to time. Then, with your fingertips, crumble any lumps of butter into the flour, so you get a fine crumbly mixture. 
• Whisk the egg, cream and milk together. Gradually pour half of this into the flour, using a fork to mix. You need just enough liquid for the dough to come together into a big lump, so pour the rest in a little bit at a time (you might not use all of it). 
• Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and roll to 3/4" (2cm) thick. Using the rim of a drinking glass, or if you have a 2 1/2" (6.5cm) cookie cutter,  cut as many rounds as you can. Gather up the scraps, roll and cut again until there is no more dough left. The last one, you may have to shape by hand. 
• Place onto a greased or line baking tray, each round about an inch (2.5cm) apart from each other. Brush on the egg white and with you fingertips, sprinkle the rest of the sugar distributing evenly amongst the rounds.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Let cool on a wire rack. 
• Prepare the strawberries with a tablespoon of sugar, and vinegar if using. 
• Whip the cream just before serving. 
• To serve, slice the shortcake in half across, put a spoonful of sweet strawberries and a dollop of cream.