Buttermilk Biscuits, Strawberries, and Cream

I just got a new cookbook. Bravetart, a James Beard Foundation Award Winner, by Stella Parks. Parks has managed to take all those iconic American desserts from a Hostess Cupcake to Betty Crockers Angel Food Cake and created recipes that make these flavors of our lives taste like you want them to be remembered which is actually delicious even though they really weren’t.

Tis Strawberry season although too much rain this spring did not grow sweet berries so serving them with biscuits sounded right. The recipe comes from Bravetart. Parks gives you opportunities to mix it up a bit with a few other ways to make them from cream scones, drop biscuits, extra fluffy and whole wheat. I made the classic.

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups strawberries sliced in half or quarters
• Whipped Cream

Preheat the oven to 400.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add butter and mash it up with your fingers until the butter has basically disappeared. Stir in the buttermilk with a flexible spatular until it becomes a sticky ball.

On a lightly floured surface turn the ball into a 6″ square with your hands. Fold in half and do it again. Fold in half and do it again. Pat the dough out and cut as many 3 1/2″ rounds are you can. The recipe calls for 2 1/2″ but I’d go even bigger next time. Arrange in an 8″ cast iron pan. I did not have one so I used a different pan.

Bake for 35 minutes says the recipe but these were done in 25 minutes so keep peeking.

Take the strawberries and coat in 1/4 cup of sugar and a pinch of salt.

Add 1/4 cup of sugar to the cream and beat until thick.

Cut the biscuit in half, dribbles over some strawberries and top with whipped cream. It really tastes like summer.