Chocolate Chip Strawberry Shortcake from Chef David James Robinson

Posted at: 06/23/2012 12:34 AM | Updated at: 06/23/2012 9:43 AM

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  Chocolate  Chip Strawberry Shortcake

from Chef David James Robinson

http://www.eatyourmistakes.com/

http://www.bezalelgables.com/

You know when you start seeing red, ripe strawberries in the supermarket, at the farm stands, or out in the fields at the U-pick that it’s time for shortcake.  This is summer in a bowl, with the added bonus of chocolate!  We take that classic combination of chocolate and strawberries and put them together in our version of shortcake.   There are 3 components to your shortcake:  The strawberry topping; the sweet chocolate-chip shortcake biscuits; and optional whipped cream or ice cream to top it all off with a few sprinkles of chocolate chips.  You can make everything ahead (except perhaps whipping your cream).  This recipe can make about 8-10 shortcakes for a crowd.  (Or plenty for seconds, lunches or a midnight snack!)

Strawberry Topping
This is so delicious and fresh tasting, particularly when the strawberries are fresh and ripe for the picking.  And you can make this up in no time.   Adjust the sweetness to your strawberries.  Remember no two strawberries are ever the same sweetness, and you shortcake biscuits will be sweet and chocolate-filled so the level of sweetness is up to you!
§   32 ounces of Fresh Strawberries (2 pounds, or about two of those plastic 16 ounce “clam shell”), washed and stems removed
§  1 Lemon, squeezed for 2 to 4 Tablespoons of lemon juice
§  6 Tablespoons of Sugar (more or less to your taste, if necessary)
 
1.       Take 32 ounces of fresh strawberries and wash them.
2.       Cut the stems off the washed strawberries and cut the strawberries in half.
3.       Put the strawberries in a bowl.
4.       Cut a fresh lemon in half and take the seeds out or use a strainer (or your almost closed fingers to strain out the seeds) and squeeze the juice from both halves of your lemon over the stemmed and cut strawberries that are in the mixing bowl.
5.       A little sugar at a time, stir in up to 6 Tablespoons of sugar into the prepared strawberries and lemon juice (put in some sugar, stir and taste, add more, and keep going until you like the level of sweetness).
6.       Set aside for a while at room temperature while you make your shortcake biscuits.
7.        Keep leftovers in the fridge for a few days, or freeze them.
Makes About 4 Cups/1 Quart of Strawberry Topping
 
Tools
§  Paring Knife
§  Mixing Bowl
§  Strainer to Remove Seeds from Lemon (or use your hands!)
§  Wooden Spoon
 
Shortcake Biscuits
This makes a sweet biscuit-like shortcake with a wonderful chewiness from the cream cheese, not like the sponge cake or angel food cake that some people serve (I don’t consider that shortcake, I’m old school!).
§  4 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
§  Additional ½ Cup of Flour for dusting and rolling out dough
§  1/2 Cup of Sugar
§  1 Tablespoon+ 1 teaspoon of Baking Powder
§  ½ teaspoon of Table Salt (don’t add if you are using salted butter)
§  3/4 Cup of Cold Unsalted Butter (that’s 1-1/2 sticks) cut into ½-inch pieces
§  2 ounces  of Cream Cheese (that’s ¼ cup, or measure it as 4 Tablespoons)
§  1 ½ Cups of Milk
§  ½ Cup of Chocolate Chips
§  3 Tablespoons of Melted Butter to brush over the tops of the shortcake biscuits (optional)
1.       Preheat the oven to 400-degrees.  I know it’s hot out, but this will only take a few minutes!
2.       Put 4 cups of all-purpose flour in a mixing bowl.
3.       Add ½ Cups of sugar into the flour in the mixing bowl.  Whisk it.
4.       Add 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of baking powder to the flour and the sugar.  Whisk it good!
5.       The add ½ teaspoon of table salt and whisk all the ingredients together so that all the white powders are distributed throughout the flour.  Using the whisk takes the place of sifting!
6.       Take 1 and ½ sticks (3/4 cup) of butter.  The butter should be cold.  Cut your butter into 1/2-inch cubes/dice.
7.       Put the ½ cup of diced butter into your mixing bowl with the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Take your hands and work the butter into the dry ingredients, flattening and pinching the butter dice into the powdery mixture so that it looks a little like cornflakes (this is called “cutting in” the butter).
8.      Mix in 2 ounces of Cream Cheese (that is ¼ cup) to the mixture.
9.       Add 1-1/2 cups of milk and mix it in with a big spoon – you’ll have a terrible mess in your bowl that doesn’t look at all like dough, just crumbly batter –  no worries.
10.   Finally, add ½ cup of chocolate chips to the mixture.
11.    Take ½ cup of extra flour and sprinkle flour over your board or work surface and spread it out to coat the work area.
12.    Dump the dough out of the bowl onto your floured work surface.
13.    Turn the dough on top of itself – push it together and press it out.  Turn the dough back on itself and press  it out a couple of times if you need to, adding additional flour to the dough  if it’s too sticky.  Take a rolling pin with a little flour on it and roll the dough about 1-inch thick (or forget the rolling pin and just press the dough out flat with your fingers).  Make sure the chocolate chips are evenly distributed throughout (move them around if you have to).
14.    Take a 3-inch round cutter, or the top of a drinking glass, and cut the biscuit shapes out of the dough – twist the cutter or juice glass in the dough to cut through and get your round shapes.
15.    Take your cut shortbread biscuit dough and use a spatula to put them on a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray (or lined with special parchment paper).  You may need 2 cookie sheets.
16.    Melt 3 Tablespoons of butter in the microwave, or in a saucepan on the stove.  Take a pastry brush or a piece of paper towel and put a little butter wash over the tops of the shortcake biscuits.
17.    Bake your biscuits in a 400-degree preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes.  The shortcake biscuits have a wonderfully chewy texture thanks to the cream cheese.
 Makes About 8 to 10 3-inch Shortcake Biscuits
 
Tools
§  Mixing Bowl
§  Whisk
§  Wooden Spoon
§  Biscuit Cutters or Juice Glass
§  Rolling Pin
§  Cookie Sheets (parchment paper to line sheets)
§  Pastry Brush or Paper Towels
 
Whipped Cream or Ice Cream on Top???
Put it all together:  To build your strawberry shortcakes, lay a baked shortcake biscuit in a small individual serving bowl (you can take a knife and cut them in half if you want, but you don’t have to), spoon the strawberry topping over shortcake biscuits, and top with whipped cream or a scoop of your favorite ice cream, if you wish.  Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top.  Serve with a spoon and a fork.  Ah, Summer in a bowl!


Recipe Should Make About 8-10 three-Inch Strawberry Shortcakes.