Ingredients :

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Strawberries destemmed, cut into quarters 2 pints
Sugar 1/2 cup
Flour 4 cups
Sugar 6 Tbsp
Baking powder 5 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Butter chilled, cut into small cubes 12 Tbsp
Milk, half & half or cream 1 1/2 cups
Whipped cream 2 cups

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Method :

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Assemble :

1. In a large bowl, mix the strawberries and 1/2 cup sugar to dissolve the sugar. Set aside and let set, stirring occasionally. Strawberries will produce their own syrup.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the chilled butter and work into the flour with your fingers till the mixture takes on a mealy texture. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill the ingredients for about 5-10 minutes.
3. Remove the bowl from the fridge and stir in the milk, half & half or cream till all the ingredients come together in a ball. Remove the dough to a floured surface and knead gently and quickly just enough to smooth out the dough.
4. Roll out dough to a thickness of about 3/4". Cut into twelve 3" rounds. Place rounds on a buttered baking sheet and bake until lightly browned on top, about 10-12 minutes.
5. Place one shortcake round in a dessert bowl. Top with a spoonful of strawberries and syrup. Place another round on top of that and top with another spoonful of berries. Top the whole thing with a dollop of whipped cream and serve immediately.

Variations :

* The tops of the shortcake rounds can be brushed with milk, cream or some melted butter before baking to help them brown.
* Cut half the shortcake into 3" rounds and the rest into 2 1/2" rounds. Use the smaller ones for the top shortcake layer. This gives a somewhat more pleasing presentation.
* The biscuits can also be split horizontally and filled with berries. This will give you about 12 portions for this recipe, but you will need 2 quarts of berries.
* Instead of cutting the dough into individual portions, pat it into a greased 8" cake pan and bake whole for about 15 minutes. After it has baked and cooled, split horizontally and fill with berries. Top with more berries and whipped cream.
* Use any type of summer berries for this dish, or a mixture of different kinds. Or use peaches, nectarines, mangoes.