Since I have an herb garden, I like to pair the flavors of the herbs with fruit. The recipes work perfectly fine without the herbs. I think you’ll find that grenadine is an inspired syrup for strawberries.
SIMPLY DELICIOUS SHORTCAKES:
Old-Fashioned Berry Recipes
Easy Strawberry Shortcake Recipe With Herbs & Whipped Cream
Makes about eight 3-inch shortcakes
Topping:
About 5 sprigs lemon balm or orange mint, optional
1 pint whipping cream
1 quart strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced
2 to 3 tablespoons grenadine syrup
Handful sweet woodruff sprigs, optional
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
Bruise herb sprigs and place in bowl with whipping cream, cover and refrigerate. In another bowl, toss berries with grenadine and woodruff and stir to mix. Let stand for at least 30 minutes, or up to a few hours.
Shortcakes:
2 cups unbleached white flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup half-and-half or whole milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped orange mint or lemon balm, optional
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly butter baking sheet; set aside.
In bowl or food processor, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Cut butter into mixture until it becomes coarse meal. Add half-and-half to dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Add chopped herbs to just mix them in. Do not over mix.
Turn dough onto floured surface and knead 8 or 10 times. Roll or pat dough to about 3/4-inch thick. Using 3-inch cutter, cut out rounds, using all the dough. Place rounds of dough on baking sheet, brush tops with melted butter, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
Bake cakes in center of oven for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool shortcakes for at least 5 minutes before splitting open; they are best served warm, but room temperature is fine.
While cakes are baking, remove herb sprigs from whipping cream, add a heaping tablespoon of sugar and whisk until softly whipped.
To assemble shortcakes, split them in half. Place spoonful of berries on bottom half with bit of juice. Add dollop of whipped cream and place top half on top. Repeat with fruit and cream and garnish top with a berry slice and an edible flower. Serve immediately.
