Father's Day with My Grandpa and Good Friends

My Grandpa and I

Dear Friends

Strawberry Shortcakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar for sprinkling
1 stick unsalted butter (8 tablespoons), cut in half the long way and then each
1 egg , beaten 1/2 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon half-and-half
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 boxes of berries
1 cup whipping cream or heavy cream, whipped with one tablespoon of sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla extract.

1. Preheat the oven to 425
2. Cut the butter in half and then half again the long way. Cut the 4 butter quarters in 1/2 inch slices. Put these on a plate, cover with plastic, and put this in the freezer while you're assembling everything else.
3. Hull the strawberries, that is, remove the stem and leaves and tiny core from the top of the berries. Cut the berries in half or in quarters, depending on the size of the berries. Sprinkle them with 1 tablespoon of sugar and let them stand while you make the biscuits.
4. Put the flour, salt, baking powder, and 3 tablespoons of sugar in the food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Distribute the butter over the top of the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles "coarse meal." The CI people say this will be about 15 1-second pulses but I can't corroborate because I lost count during this process.
5. Dump this into a mixing bowl, mix the lightly beaten egg with the half-and-half, then gently stir it into the flour mixture until clumps form. Flour a work surface, then gently knead the dough until it just comes together. Pat the dough into a rectangle 9 inches by 6 inches that's about 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut out six rounds of dough with a 2 3/4 inch biscuit cutter and place them on a cookie sheet. Brush the tops with the lightly beaten egg white and then sprinkle the tops with one to two tablespoons of sugar.
6. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Cool on a rack for ten minutes. Then split each biscuit in half crosswise. Place a large spoonful or two of berries and the juice they've exuded on top of the bottom biscuit. Be generous with the berries Top with a large dollop of whipped cream. Perch the biscuit top at a rakish angle on top of the whipped cream. Serve with additional whipped cream on the side. Recipe from Christopher Kimball of Cook's Illustrated.