Strawberry shortbread
The very essence of an English summer presented on a plate. Melt-in-the-mouth shortcake with whipped cream and sweet strawberries – bliss.
INGREDIENTS:
Loseley Summer Meadow Butter 225g (8oz), softened
Caster sugar 110g (4 oz)
Plain Flour 300g (11 oz)
Ground Almonds 50g (2 oz)
Small strawberries 225g (8 oz)
Whipping Cream 300ml (1/2 pint)
Strawberry jam 2 tbsp, soft-set
Caster Sugar for dusting
METHOD:
1. Firstly make the shortcakes. Cream together the Loseley Summer Meadow Butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then mix in the flour, salt and ground almonds until the mixture clings together to form a dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead gently until smooth.
2. Lightly press and roll the dough to flatten it to a thickness of 6mm (¼ inch) and, using a 7.5cm (3in) round cutter, stamp out as many shapes as you can. Re-roll the dough and continue stamping out shapes until all the dough is used up. You should end up with about 20 circles.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place the shortcake circles on the sheet. Prick with a fork and chill for 40 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 180˚C/ 350˚F/ Gas 4 and bake the shortcake biscuits for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden. Set aside to cool.
5. To finish, wash the strawberries and hull and slice them. Whisk the cream into soft peaks, and then spoon onto half the shortcake biscuits. Top with a few strawberry slices and drizzle of jam. Add a small dollop of cream and then sandwich a plain shortcake on top. Dust very lightly with sugar and serve immediately.
Cook’s Tip
Try using different fruits such as raspberries and use the same-flavour jam.
For a romantic supper-time dessert, cut heart shaped shortcakes.
20 minutes preparation time plus chilling and cooling
20 minutes cooking time
472 Kcal per portion
33.4g fat per portion
19.4g saturated fat
Makes 10 shortcakes
Biscuits are suitable for freezing
Suitable for vegetarians
Loseley Summer Meadow Butter is packed in a 250g tub and costs £1.29p.