Old-fashioned Shortcakes

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and set a rack in the middle level.  In
a bowl, combine the flour and sugar and stir well to mix. Cut the
butter into 8 or 10 pieces and rub into the dry ingredients until the
mixture resembles coarse meal (or pulse in a food processor fitted
with the metal blade). Make a well in the center and add the
buttermilk. Stir gently with a fork to mix in the buttermilk, being
careful not to overwork the dough. Let the dough stand in the bowl  for
a minute or two to let the flour absorb the liquid.  For a large
shortcake, pat the dough into a 9-inch disk on a  parchment-lined
cookie sheet. For individual shortcakes, pat the  dough into 6 by
12-inch rectangle and cut it into eight 3-inch  biscuits with a sharp,
floured round cutter. Transfer to a parchment  lined cookie sheet.
Paint the top(s) with the buttermilk and sprinkle  with the sugar. Bake
for 10 to 15 minutes, until well risen and  golden. Check the center of
the large shortcake with a toothpick to  make sure it is baked through:
If the pick emerges with the dough  still clinging to it, lower
temperature to 350 degrees and bake  another 5 minutes. Remove from
oven and let cool. Slice shortcakes in  half horizontally. Spoon
berries on bottom half of biscuits.  Add a scoop of ice cream or frozen
mousse on the berries before  covering with biscuit top.  Strawberry
version:  Place the berries in a colander and quickly rinse them under
running  cold water. Pour them on a pan or tray lined with several
thicknesses  of paper towel to drain for 5 minutes. Hull the
strawberries with the  point of a stainless steel paring knife, then
slice them into a bowl.  Sprinkle with the sugar and lemon juice, then
set aside, covered, at  room temperature for an hour or two.  Whip the
cream (add a couple of tablespoons of sugar, if you like)  until it
holds a soft peak, cover and refrigerate.  Serve with Strawberry frozen
mousse in the center topped with fresh  berries.  TIPS    When molding
a frozen souffle, place the container the mixture is  going into, in
the freezer for 1 hour prior to filling. This will  allow the mixture
to chill quickly and help to prevent separation.    Be careful when
measuring the sugar and any alcohol called for in a  frozen souffle
because these two ingredients can inhibit freezing.  Either too much or
too little can result in the souffle being too icy  or too slushy
Converted by MC_Buster.  Recipe by: COOKING LIVE  SHOW #CL9176
Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 2146
Calories From Fat: 1631
Total Fat: 184.9g
Cholesterol: 490.8mg
Sodium: 2173.3mg
Potassium: 524.2mg
Carbohydrates: 124g
Fiber: 3.1g
Sugar: 111.6g
Protein: 9.5g