Not that anybody asked, or that it’s a competition in any way, but I think the best summer dessert is strawberry shortcake. I do wait all year for ice cream cones and stone fruit pies, and I’m pretty sure I’m contractually obligated to nod to our plum torte. But the heart wants what it wants, and mine always wants strawberry shortcake.
The strawberry shortcakes I grew up with were built on Bisquick and Cool Whip, and I stand by that iteration. (I actually prefer Cool Whip to real whipped cream here, which might lose me some of your trust, but again, the heart, its wants, etc.) But when I have friends to feed, or some really nice berries I want to do right by, I pull out this five-star recipe from “Jane Grigson’s Fruit Book,” adapted by Nancy Harmon Jenkins.
The recipe isn’t fussy at all; it’s an easy mix of butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, heavy cream and a bit of salt, which neatly come together and bake in the time it takes your strawberries to macerate. And while it calls for a round cutter to make neat little circular shortcakes, know that I’ve never once used one and instead just eyeball and pat my dough into lovable, if uneven, little rounds. Warm, buttery biscuits; strawberries swimming in ruby juice; cold pillows of whipped cream: Happy summer.
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Strawberry Shortcake
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Today’s specials
Grilled tahini-honey chicken thighs: From our Summer 100, a fast and easy chicken dish from Yossy Arefi that turns five ingredients (not including oil, salt and the optional sumac finish) into a satisfying dinner. If you don’t have a grill, the oven or stovetop will work just fine, and Yossy provides instructions for either in the recipe tips.
Mango-avocado salad with lime vinaigrette: Two facts: It is mango season, and it is very, very hot in many places this weekend. Here, then, is a refreshing salad from Kay Chun, a star of our collection of no-cook recipes.
Spiced couscous with fragrant steamed fish: This beautiful Yotam Ottolenghi dish is the sort of low-effort but fancy-feeling dinner I like to make on a Saturday night when I want nice restaurant vibes without nice restaurant prices.
Lemony peas and dumplings: “More like German spaetzle and Hungarian galuska than Italian gnocchi, these dumplings are made with a thick, pancake-like batter that comes together in minutes, ready to scoop and plop into boiling water,” writes Carolina Gelen of her 20-minute recipe. Speaking of nice restaurant vibes: this dish, served alongside olive-oil baked salmon and a bottle of something chilled? Absolutely.
Horchata: Kiera Wright-Ruiz’s recipe is an adaptation of a Mexican version, also known as agua de horchata, made with rice, sugar, cinnamon and almonds. You can leave out the almonds, but definitely serve it iced so that it’s extra refreshing.
And before you go
If your summer travel plans include visits to excellent food cities like San Francisco, Chicago and New Orleans, you’ll want to make sure you’re subscribed to our Where to Eat newsletter. Yes, that newsletter focuses on New York, but all this summer we’ll be sending dispatches from the food writers and reporters that help us with our national city lists. This week, Regan Stephens writes about three new additions to our list of the 25 best restaurants in Philadelphia right now — go give it a look (and go birds).
Thanks for reading!
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