Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients:

Sweet Biscuit Dough:
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon plus 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 8 Tablespoons chilled unsalted butter or solid vegetable shortening, or a combination
• ¾ cup cold milk
  
  Strawberry Shortcake:
• 6 cups (about 3 pints) sliced ripe strawberries
• ½ cup granulated sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 6 large biscuits made from Sweet Biscuit Dough
• 1 cup heavy cream, well chilled
• 3 Tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 sprigs fresh mint
  
  White Corn Ice Cream:
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup sugar
• 6 egg yolks
  
  Tarragon Syrup:
• 1 cup tarragon leaves
• ½ cup simple syrup

Method:
For Sweet Biscuit Dough:
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place the flour, baking powder, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour in the milk with the motor running and process quickly into a soft dough. Roll the dough out to about a ½ inch thickness on a lightly floured board. Cut the dough into circles using a biscuit cutter or a 3-inch diameter glass. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and cooked through.

For White Corn Ice Cream:
Heat the corn in the cream, puree smooth using a blender, and pass through a fine chinois. Combine the puree, sugar, milk, and cream in a pot and bring to a simmer.
Temper in the egg yolks and heat at a very low heat until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Strain the ice cream base through a chinois and cool immediately. Once mixture is cool, run the custard in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturers recommendations.

For Strawberry Shortcake:
Combine the strawberries, granulated sugar, and orange zest in a large bowl. Using a kitchen fork, slightly mash about half of the berries. Let the berries macerate, at room temperature, for at least 1 hour. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the cream slightly in a chilled mixing bowl. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat on high speed until the cream holds its shape but doesn’t form stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to serve, but for no more than 15 minutes. (If you need to make the whipped cream early in the day, add ½ teaspoon unflavored gelatin dissolved in a teaspoon of warm water to the cream as you whip. The gelatin will enable the cream to hold its form.)

For the Tarragon Syrup:
Heat the simple syrup and blanch tarragon leaves. Remove from heat and chill over an ice bath. Puree in a blender until smooth and pass through a fine sieve.

To Assemble and Serve:
When ready to serve, split the biscuits crosswise in half. Place the bottoms of the biscuits in dessert plates. Spoon a generous serving of strawberries over the bottom half of each biscuit. Place the top biscuit over the berries and spoon the remaining berries over the top and around the edges of the plates. Spoon a generous portion of whipped cream over each, garnish with tarragon syrup and a mint sprig, and serve immediately.

Wine Pairing:
An effervescent dessert wine like Brachetto d’Aqui.

back to top