Father's Day Treat

A rose by any other name could be Strawberry!  The strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) is a member of the scientific family of Rosaceae(rose) and the sub-family of Rosoideae, along with blackberries and raspberries. The very word signals the summer season.  These red succulent morsels are fragrant, juicy and sweet. In addition,  their unique combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients and high Vitamin C content does the body good.  Who can resist their  ready availability in stores, farmers' markets and off roadside stands.   This year I decided to honor the father of my children with a dessert that incorporated his favorites of white chocolate and whipped cream into summer’s quintessential dessert, the strawberry shortcake. Personal substitutions and tweaking of Sandra Lee's recipe for White Chocolate Chip Shortcake with Basil Strawberries yielded a delicious Father’s Day Treat well remembered!

Strawberry Shortcake with White Chocolate & Mint
MA Rodriguez - (Tweaked from Sandra Lee’s original recipe)

Ingredients

1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced, reserve a few for garnish

1/4 cup sugar, plus 3 tablespoons

1 1/2 cups baking mix

1/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup white chocolate chips

2 tablespoons chopped mint (or basil) leaves

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

3 hours before serving combine the strawberries with 1 tablespoon of sugar in a zip lock baggie and refrigerate.

In a large bowl, whisk together the baking mix and 1/4 cup sugar. Stir in the milk and butter, and then fold in the chocolate chips. Make 6 biscuits by dropping spoonfuls into 6 mounds leaving 1-1.5” between them. Bake until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

45 minutes before serving take strawberries out of fridge and add the chopped mint or basil and toss to combine.

With an electric hand mixer, whip the cream in a medium bowl, with the remaining sugar and the vanilla. Slice off the top half or third of each shortcake. Put the bottom halves of each shortcake on serving plates and spoon some strawberries over each half. Dollop each with whipped cream and cover with the shortcake tops. Garnish with a bit more whipped cream and a strawberry slice before serving.