Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake

3 cups strawberries or mixed fresh fruit
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup strawberry purée or mashed strawberries
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Lemon Biscuits:
milk (see directions for amount)
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
2 tablespoons butter

In a bowl, sprinkle the fruit with 2 tablespoons of sugar and lemon juice. Toss to mix it together well. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

For biscuits, add enough milk to the lemon juice to make 2/3 cup. Stir and set aside for 15 minutes to allow it to sour. In another bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon rind. Cut in shortening and butter until well mixed using a pastry blender or 2 knives. With a fork, blend in soured milk to make a soft dough. Don't overmix the dough or your biscuits with be a bit tough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 6 - 8 times. Roll out or pat the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Using a floured 3 inch round cutter, cut out 6 biscuits. Sprinkle lightly with more sugar. Bake on a greased baking sheet for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are browned.

Let the biscuits cool until just warm or completely cooled. Cut in half horizontally. Spoon the fruit mixture over the bottom halves of the biscuits on individual serving plates, reserving some fruit for garnish. Stir strawberry purée with remaining sugar and spoon over the fruit mixture.

Top with a dollop of whipped cream, then the biscuit tops. Garnish with more cream and the remaining fruit.

Makes 6 servings

• This really is an any time shortcake recipe. You can easily replace the strawberries with blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, red currants, plums or peaches. A mix of berries is wonderful too.

• If you don't have a metal biscuit cutter, use the end of a large glass. It doesn't work quite as well, but it does the trick.