Classic (not too sweet) Strawberry Shortcake

The hill that I am willing to die on is that shortcake should be simple but not sweet. Good shortcake is very much like a craggy vanilla biscuit. What led me to decide to share this recipe is that I was reading the most recent "Kitchen Project" and was annoyed at how much sugar Bronwen Wyatt used in her recipe. So, I went and looked at the recipes on NYT App and they were super sugary too! Then, I went by back to my OG Joy of Cooking and here I saw the sweet/unsweetened split. Joy of Cooking offers two versions of shortcake: one barely sweetened based on biscuits and the second based on sweet American scones.

American's need to reign in all that sugar. Strawberries and whipped cream are plenty sweet on their own. Let's bring back a more subtle and homey tasting shortcake that's equally good with strawberries and vanilla whipped cream as it is the next morning with runny friend eggs.

What makes this recipe different from a simple biscuit recipe (and the one in Joy of Cooking) is the hint of vanilla and the sugary top. That's it. It's super simple and will soak up all the whipped cream and strawberries that you can heap on it.

I've been making a version of this recipe since I got it from our neighbor Joanne back in high school. I remember going to her house to ask for the recipe and Joanne didn't laugh when I confused shortcake and shortbread. This is a tweaked version of her recipe. It's been a spring staple for years.

NOTE ABOUT OPTIONAL ADDED SUGAR: Even though I just railed against overly sweet cake in the paragraphs above, I do like to add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the dough and sprinkle an additional tablespoon of sugar on top of my shortcake. I find that the one tablespoon of elevates the flavors without making the dough sweet. Do feel free to omit it if you prefer to go sugar free. This single tablespoon is nothing compared to the 1/3-1/2 cup of sugar in sweeter recipes. Furthermore I love adding a tablespoon of Turbano sugar on top of the short cake. It's going to give extra texture and (along with the vanilla extra) signal to people that they're eating a dessert and not a health food. You can, of course, omit it if you so choose, but I highly recommend it.

NOTE ABOUT BISCUIT STYLE PRESENTATION: We have always eaten our strawberry shortcake cut into wedges. You can absolutely use english muffin cutters or even cupcake tins to make biscuit style shortcake. Just make sure to watch your cook time because small cakes will cook in as little as 7-10 minutes.

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Classic Strawberry Shortcake

requires one 8 or 9 inch pie or cake pan. Takes 20 minutes to asseble and 15-20 minutes to bake. Serves 8.

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon sugar (optional but most American pallets will expect a hint of sweetness)

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (good quality but not European style)

1 egg, cold

2/3 cup light cream (or 1/3 cup whole milk and 1/3 cup heavy cream)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon Turbano sugar (optional but highly recommend)

Whipping cream and strawberries to serve.

STEP ONE

Preheat oven to 420 degrees. line a 9 inch or 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper and lightly oil the bottom and sides of the pan. Combine flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Cut your butter into small chunks and add to your flour mixture. Then use your fingers to smoosh the butter into the flour mixture until butter pieces are intigrated and the size of small peas. Set aside. See first two photos below.

STEP TWO

In a separate bowl mix together your egg, cream, and vanilla. Then add egg-cream mixture to the flour mixture and stir sparingly. The dough will resemble biscuit batter and not fully stick together. Use your fingers to gently spread the dough out on your pan. It's going to be craggy. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of turbano or other coarse sugar over top. See photos below. Bake for 15-18 minutes for an 8" pan 12-16 minutes for a 9" pan.

Allow Short cake to cool slightly before serving with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Short cake can also be rewarmed in the oven, but is best eaten within the first 48 hours. My favorite way to eat leftover short cake is to try it in a pan next to some fried eggs. It's almost as good as with strawberries and cream.

Rhubarb-Lemon Bars

I'm not done with rhubarb yet, are you? We're about to hit "strawberry time" here, and I'm beyond excited for it, but I am not done with rhubarb. In fact, I am currently cultivating relationships with internet friends who are helping me grow my freezer stash. Rhubarb brings neighbors (and internet neighbors) together (special shout-out to Pauline!!!)

These Rhubarb-Lemon Bars are a springtime dream. They are rich and decadent with custard rising impossibly high on top of a shortbread cookie crust. But they are also homey and perfect for drawn-out evenings on the porch because rhubarb, lemon and buttery shortbread are just so comforting. Furthermore, the sprinkle of sliced rhubarb on top adds a puckering (and balancing) bit of tang, which will keep you reaching for seconds and thirds.

I've tried other rhubarb custard bar recipes, but they were always too sweet, too dry, or thad no tangy flavor. So, I rolled up my sleeves et viola! I did a little happy dance in my kitchen when I finally got these bars to my exacting tastes. They are similar to those luscious lemon bars you get at bakeries and coffee shops, but with the pucker, tang and depth that can only come from rhubarb. I hope that you like them as much as we do.

Note about Rhubarb Varieties: Rhubarb stalks can be red, green, or speckled red and green. They're just different varietials. I like to use red rhubarb for this recipe because it makes for such a beautifully colored bar. If I'm using stalks that are more speckled or have both red and green, I like to add a drop or two of food coloring to make the bars take on a more traditional rhubarb hue.

Note about Rhubarb Leaves: The leaves are poisonous! If you buy rhubarb with it's leaves, or harvest some yourself, simply cut the stalk below the juncture of the leaf and steam, and dispose of the leaves.

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Rhubarb Lemon Bars

Takes about 1 hour to make and then a few hours to cool. Makes 12-18 bars. Requires a food processor.

Shortbread Base

Ingredients

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon Diamond brand kosher salt

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

STEP ONE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 glass pyrex pan with parchment paper and lightly oil the paper.

STEP TWO

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Cut butter into 1 tablespoon pieces and add on top of dry ingredients. Pulse with the mixer until a powdery crumb forms. Press the short bread dough into the greased 8x8 pan, then bake for 16-22 minutes or until the short bread looks cooked and takes on a light golden color. Remove from oven and set aside.

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Rhubarb-Lemon Custard

Ingredients

10 ounces rhubarb (about 2.5 cups)

3/4 cup granulated white sugar separated into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup

3/4 medium sized lemon

1/4 teaspoon Diamon brand kosher salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cold butter cut into 1/4 inch pieces

4 eggs cold from the fridge

2 drops of red food coloring (optional)

2 ounces rhubarb (about 1/2 cup cut into 1/8 of an inch slices)

2 tablespoons powdered sugar (optional)

STEP ONE

While the shortbread cooks, chop your rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces and add to a small saucepan. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the rhubarb (set other half of the lemon aside) and add 1/2 cup sugar. cook down the rhubarb over medium low heat until it softens and starts to break down (about 10-15 minutes). Set rhubarb aside to cool for 10 minutes.

STEP TWO

Cut your other half of a lemon in half again. Remove the nippled end from your lemon and discard it. Your lemon wedge should be about 1-2 inches thick, but then cut the wedge into 1/4 inch pieces slices so you can remove any seeds. Add that sliced lemon to your food processor bowl. Pour 1/4 cup of sugar in with the lemon slices. Run the food processor until the lemon is broken down with the sugar. Then add the rhubarb, flour, and salt and process until you have a thick purée. Lastly, add the 4 eggs and the 2 tablespoons of chopped butter.

STEP THREE

Pour the custard mixture on top of the shortbread and then sprinkle the finely sliced rhubarb on top of the custard. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the custard sets. It should just start taking on a little light coloring around the edges. Allow custard to cool before cutting and toping with optional powdered sugar.

Rhubarb-Lemon bars are best within the first 48 hours but will keep for four days covered and stored in the fridge.

Ginger Scallion Turkey Burgers

Is anybody else doing a version of the 7-365-20 dinner challenge? (It's where you feed kids every single night for 20 years). I'm currently struggling a bit to keep it going. I recently had hernia surgery, and then our water heater broke, and we're in the middle of the end of the year sprint, so I've been giving my kids (and myself) a lot more processed food than I would like.

The problem is, once my family gets in the habit of sugary cereals, greasy takeout and frozen dinners, it's hard to get everyone back to balanced eating. When I feel like I'm eating too much garbage, I just want to eat this Perfect Kale Salad and Edamame, Fennel and Mint Salad. My kids, however, are different. After a couple of weeks of processed foods, they really resist going straight from "tan (fried) foods" to all beans and greens. They need to stair step back to healthier habits.

These turkey burgers are a nice bridge away from fast food and, if you're already eating healthy, just an all around nice meal. The kids love that they're still eating delicious burgers. I love that these burgers taste herbaceous and don't taste like sweaty fast food. They come together in less than 30 minutes so they make for a great weeknight option.

Plated Turkey Burger with a Bun

Note About Turkey Burgers

Ground turkey gets a bad rap. People tend to see it as a healthy substitute for ground beef. This means that most people cook against ground turkey's flavor and not with it. But ground turkey is not beef. That means that it combines well with lighter/"grassier" flavors as compared to the richer flavors we often pair with beef. Ground turkey sings when combined with cilantro, ginger, green onions, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

Because turkey complements these lighter flavors so well this turkey burger is the perfect introductory burger for spring and the perfect use of all those green onions and herbs at the farmers market. Pair them with Brioche Style Buns and your family will be living the spring dream. You can elevate them even further with some Aleppo Avocado Mayo for yourself.

Note about Grilling Turkey Burgers

We grill everything in our house. We have absolutely grilled these burgers. That said, they can get a little messy on the grill so for best results, I recommend cooking them on the stove top instead.

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Ginger Scallion Turkey Burgers

Makes 5 adult sized burgers or 6-7 smaller burgers. Takes 10 minutes to assemble 10-20 minutes to cook.

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey

3 cloves crushed or minced garlic

2 knuckle's worth of fresh ginger peeled and minced

4 large scallions chopped into 1/6 inch rings

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 large egg

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 cup panko breadcrumbs or home made bread crumbs divided

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes to taste

neutral oil for pan frying the burgers

Step One

Spread 1/2 cup bread crumbs on a plate and set aside. Combine all the other ingredients (including the other 1/2 cup bread crumbs) in mixing bowl and kneed with your hands or a fork until thoroughly mixed.

Step Two

Form the burgers into roughly 4" diameter by 1" thick patties and then place them on the plate with the bread crumbs. Press the patties gently into the crumbs so that they stick and then flip the patties over and press breadcrumbs onto the other side.

Step Three

Preheat a wide pan with about 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium heat until a bread crumb sizzles when dropped into the pan. Then, add however many burgers fit on your pan without crowding them, and turn down the heat to medium-low. Cook for 4-6 minutes until bread crumbs form a golden-brown crust. Flip and cook the burgers on the other side until they get crispy and until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove once cooked and add more oil as needed to cook the rest of the burgers. (I usually cook 3-4 burgers at a time)

Serve with slices of avocado, mayo, extra cilantro or other greens, hot sauce, or Aleppo-Avocado Mayo

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Aleppo-Avocado Mayo

5 minutes to make. Adapted from Love and Lemon's Avocado Sauce

Ingredients

1 medium avacado

3 tablespoons mayonaise

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1 handful of fresh cilantro included smaller stems

1/2 teaspoon of dried Aleppo pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

juice of 1/2 lime

Step One

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor bowl or in a small mixing bowl. Process to combine. Or mince cilantro and mash the ingredients together with the back of a fork.

Best if used within 2-3 days. Store covered in the fridge.