June is for weddings and strawberries

It's June.  The days are long, the kids are out of school and summer stretches ahead.  

The weather, so far, has been total bullshit in Chicago, but I'm expecting it to change any day and we might actually be able to sit out on our patio and enjoy a few hot summer nights! 

Meanwhile, this happened. 

taylorheery.com

 My beautiful niece, Colleen Young, got hitched to a fabulous fellow, Brenton Murrell.  

It was absolutely perfect.

 The whole Corey fam

 all the Corey girls - photo props to Bill Hanrahan!

the cousins

 It was a great way to kick off the summer.  Magical and meaningful and moving to help usher these lovely young adults into their new, hope-filled life.  

The night we got home I made a total shop-your-pantry meal.  I think I'll call it, "Pasta with all the things"

Here was my inventory:

 Pasta, feta, artichoke hearts, pepperoncini, olives and garbanzo beans. Plus one tomato.

 I had a little rose in the fridge - oh happy day!!

 I found a red pepper and cut it up.  Then made a dressing of balsamic vinegar & olive oil, s&p.

 Then added some fresh spinach and the cooked pasta and tossed it all together.

 feta on the side for the non-feta-eaters.

It was actually quite delicious.

And then?  This past weekend we had a dinner party and I made a lot of the usuals - grilled chicken with chimichurri sauce, cous cous with toasted pine nuts and an arugula-watermelon salad.  

All were fantastic.  But the magnum opus was dessert.

Those who know me know I love to eat dessert, but I don't love making dessert.  I'm more of a cook than a baker.  Baking is exact and precise: it's chemistry and it's stressful.  

But this sucker was GOOD and worth the work.

Homemade Strawberry Shortcake with lemon pepper Syrup

Rinse 2 quarts of strawberries.  Cut off the tops then thinly slice 1/2 of them.

 

Mix sliced strawberries with 2 Tbsp superfine sugar and half of a zested lemon. Set aside. 

In a small bowl, whisk together 1-1/4 cup flour, 1-1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip 2 eggs plus 1 egg white on high speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Gradually pour in 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar and whip on high speed until mixture is a pale yellow color and has thickened enough to mound onto itself when beater is lifted, 1 to 3 minutes.

Here is what the instructions say:

 Using a rubber spatula, gently and patiently fold flour mixture into egg mixture.

Patiently?  I'm not sure I was terribly gentle or patient, but the job got done.

 Fold in 1/3 cup warm milk, 2 tsp vanilla and 2 tbsp melted butter until completely combined.

 Gently pour batter into prepared pan and bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in pan. Invert cake onto a cooling rack and peel off baking paper. Let cool completely.

(as you can see, I do not have the pan lined with parchment paper above.  I realized this just as I put it in the oven and stared at it for a second, then sighed, took it out, poured the batter back in the bowl, cleaned the pan, greased it, lined it with parchment, greased the parchment, then dumped the batter back in.  See what I mean about baking vs cooking?   #scared.

 

 Whip 2 cups heavy cream with 1 tsp vanilla until soft peaks form.

 

 Meanwhile, in a small pot, whisk together remaining 100 grams ( 1/2 cup) granulated sugar, 1/4 cup water and 1/8 tsp finely ground black  pepper. Simmer on medium heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture has reduced by half, about 5 min. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1/2 lemon zest. 

 Using a serrated knife, horizontally slice cake in half.

 Generously brush each cut side with lemon-pepper syrup.

 Transfer the bottom half to a cake plate, cut side up, and spoon sliced strawberries and any juices over it.

 Spread half the whipped cream over sliced strawberries and gently place the other cake half on top.

 Spread remaining whipped cream over top and sides of cake (or mound it all on the top).

 Garnish with whole strawberries and drizzle with more lemon-pepper syrup for serving.

Trust me when I tell you - this was fantastic. 

The next time I'll double the amount of pepper to give it a little bit more of a bite.   

Happy Summer!!

Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon-Pepper Syrup

Melissa Clark

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, more for greasing pan
• 2 quarts strawberries (about 2 pounds)
• 25 grams superfine sugar (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 lemon, zested
• 155 grams all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 4 grams baking powder (about 1 1/4 teaspoons)
• 3 grams salt (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg white
• 330 grams granulated sugar (about 1 3/4 cups)
• ⅓ cup whole milk, warmed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter or cooking spray. Line with baking paper and grease the parchment.
2. Cut off tops of strawberries and thinly slice half of them, leaving remaining berries whole. Mix sliced strawberries with superfine sugar and half the lemon zest. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip eggs and egg white on high speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Gradually pour in 230 grams (1 1/4 cups) granulated sugar and whip on high speed until mixture is a pale yellow color and has thickened enough to mound onto itself when beater is lifted, 1 to 3 minutes.
4. Using a rubber spatula, gently and patiently fold flour mixture into egg mixture. Fold in milk, vanilla and butter until completely combined.
5. Gently pour batter into prepared pan and bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in pan. Invert cake onto a cooling rack and peel off baking paper. Let cool completely.
6. Meanwhile, in a small pot, whisk together remaining 100 grams ( 1/2 cup) granulated sugar, 1/4 cup water and the pepper. Simmer on medium heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining lemon zest.
7. Whip heavy cream and vanilla until soft peaks form.
8. Using a serrated knife, horizontally slice cake in half. Generously brush each cut side with lemon-pepper syrup. Transfer the bottom half to a cake plate, cut side up, and spoon sliced strawberries and any juices over it. Spread half the whipped cream over sliced strawberries and gently place the other cake half on top. Spread remaining whipped cream over top and sides of cake (or mound it all on the top). Garnish with whole strawberries and drizzle with more lemon-pepper syrup for serving.