Strawberries and Cozy Saturdays

As my previous post implied, this hasn’t been the easiest month for me – that being said, I’ve been dying to start blogging again. Considering I’m still on “the mend,” I haven’t been quite as active a culinarian…for those of you who know me, you can see why I had to do something during this “hurry up and wait” period. So I thought I could share a few recipes from my archives – aka photos of dishes that I never had the chance to post. So what better way to make a comeback than with Strawberry Chocolate Shortcakes with Whipped Cream?!
So why are we so addicted to shortcakes? Whether it be the crumbly, buttery biscuits or the bright, juicy berries, they have become one of the idyllic desserts in our culture. I used an interested method with these biscuits – rather than cubing cold butter and using a pastry cutter, I shredded the frozen butter with a cheese grater. The end result was a light, flaky biscuit. As you noticed, these are a little different than your “classic” shortcakes – they have finely chopped chocolate bits – this is an optional add-in, but I loved the visual aesthetic. Click HERE to learn how to make these beautiful treats.
I’m blogging about these shortcakes on a Saturday, and quite frankly (since I’m relegated to limited activity) I’ve come to enjoy the refuge of these lazy days. Whether curling up on the sofa with a good book or enjoying one of the several TV shows on my queue (TNG and Justified are the current frontrunners), the weekends have proven ideal for summer rest. Though I don’t often listen to the works of Edvard Grieg, I felt that the Sarabande from his Holberg Suite, Op. 40 was the ideal pairing for such peaceful refuge. The suite is neoclassical (drawing from the Baroque style), though Grieg’s signature can be discerned throughout. This quality helped draw my connection to the idea that these shortcakes are also a thing “from the past.” Though the Sarabande is beautiful, the piece is relatively short – if you have the time, I recommend listening to all 5 movements. Enjoy!