Strawberry Shortcake, Strawberry Cobbler, Strawberry Brûlée, Sour Cream Pound Cake with Almonds 



OLD & NEW FASHIONED SOUTHERN STRAWBERRY DESSERTS

Mother's Strawberry Shortcake

My first memory of an old fashioned dessert begins with my mother's fresh strawberry shortcake. In the spring, when the strawberries were at peak, mother would serve this luscious dessert as the finale to a long and sumptuous Sunday dinner.

 

My sister and I would remove to the twig chairs on the lawn and there, with bowl and spoon in hand, devour the plump berries in the sugary syrup of sweetness as the pecan trees above us blew a cool breeze. I can remember it like it was yesterday, even though it was more than 60 years ago.
 

The shortcakes were made with shortbread biscuits such as those on the Bisquick box, or mother would use those little shortcake cups that she bought from the Piggly Wiggly in Linden, Alabama. 

Although the shortcake cups have fallen out of favor with new chefs, I still buy them locally and use them quite often when making shortcakes. I've often used Sour Cream Pound Cake from my cousin Joyce Kimbrough's recipe as well. The pound cake makes the perfect sponge for the syrupy berries. I've included the recipe for the cake below. 

 

Mother would cut the strawberries into a bowl and add enough sugar to sweeten them. If the berries were really dry, she would add a little water. The bowl of berries and sugar would macerate in the fridge until the bowl was full of syrup around the berries. Then, mother would put the shortcake cups into each bowl and spoon a generous amount of strawberries and syrup on top.

 

A large scoop of ice cream went over the cake and berries, followed by more berries and syrup over the ice cream. And, then.... A huge spoonful of whipped cream (top photo).

I still make my strawberry shortcakes the same way that mother made them, except that now I add a little amaretto and no water.  
 

Another family favorite is Strawberry Cobbler. It is the second "life can't get better than this dessert", behind the strawberry shortcake. 

This recipe from a family member makes the most delicious cobbler. The dough is so easily made in a food processor, and then it's even easier from there. You won't give this recipe up once you have it. It's a great one to make before company arrives.

 

  Old Fashioned Strawberry Cobbler

 

6 cups strawberries, washed and hulled, if large cut in half

1/3 cup sugar, for berries (use ½ cup if berries are not too sweet)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup buttermilk 

 

Preheat oven 375°. 

Prepare a 2-3 quart (au gratin type) oven-proof baking dish by spraying with non-stick spray. Place the strawberries in the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with the 1/3 to ½ cup granulated sugar. Set aside.
 

In a food processor fitted with a steel blade add the flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, salt and butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Add buttermilk and pulse until the batter is well blended. Place spoonful's of batter over the strawberries and spread to cover the top of the berries. Or, do what I do and make the dough into biscuit like rounds. Just place the dough on a floured tea towel, dust the top with flour and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place "biscuits" on top of the strawberries.
 

Bake the cobbler for 35-40 minutes or until batter has cooked through. Cool slightly before serving. Serve with almond flavored whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream. 
 

Note: To make sure the batter has cooked, place the tip of a knife into the center. It’s cooked when the knife blade comes out clean.
 

Almond flavored whipped cream 

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup sugar

½ teaspoon almond extract
 

Add heavy cream to the bowl of electric mixer. Using a wire whisk attachment, whip the cream until it begins to thicken. Gradually add sugar, then almond extract and beat until soft peaks form. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

 

 

Strawberry Cobbler is a dessert that I love to make. It's quick, it's easy, it's delicious. I won't go on and on about this special dessert, because if you make it, you will love it.

 

Strawberry Brûlée
 

I imagine this recipe has been around as long as sour cream,  brown sugar and strawberries. It's the most elegant of the desserts listed here.  Not a guests in the house would turn this dessert away. Sweet, tangy, fruity. Delicious. Try it for breakfast too!

Strawberry Brûlée

 

For one serving, you will need as many strawberries as you feel you can eat. Cut them into quarters and put them in a broil-proof dish or skillet. Add a layer of sour cream, and then sprinkle with a heavy layer of brown sugar.

 

Place the skillet under a hot broiler and cook until the sugar has melted.  
 

 

The sugar should "crack" when hit with a spoon. Now, slip the brûlée out into a shallow serving bowl. Scrumptious.
 

 

Sour Cream Pound Cake

 

When I was writing my cookbook in 2006, my cousin, Joyce Kimbrough in Tuscumbia, Alabama, provided me with a  recipe that she had been using for more than 45 years. It was left in her milk box on a flyer from the State of Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries. Mr. A.W. Todd was the commissioner at the time. I'm so glad that she shared it because I have used this recipe more often than any other pound cake recipe in my collection. 

Joyce Kimbrough's Sour Cream Pound Cake with Almonds

 

Cake:

2 sticks butter

1/2 teaspoon lemon flavoring

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

1/4 teaspoon almond flavoring

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

3 cups flour, sifted (I used the scoop method)

1/4 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces sour cream
Sliced almonds (this is my addition, and optional)

 

Cream butter and add sugar one cup at a time. Add eggs, one at a time mixing well after each. Add flavorings. Sift together flour, soda and salt. Add flour mixture and sour cream to butter mixture, alternating each. Beat well. Place in a 10-inch greased and floured tube pan and bake at 350 degrees about an hour.

 

I add sliced almonds to the top of my cake. I'll also tell you a little secret, what ever you want the predominant flavor to be, add a teaspoon of that flavoring instead of the small amount called for in the recipe. This cake reminds me of old fashioned birthday cakes, if you can remember the taste of those. Boy, I sure do!

Some of these recipes have been made by our mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmothers, but to me, they never get old. Always good to the last little spoonful. And with each bite, a loving memory.