Project Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake with Mint and Whipped Cream

THE RECIPE: Strawberry Shortcakes with Mint and Whipped Cream (See Bridget's version HERE)

It's safe to say I'll be using this recipe as my standard from now on.

Next to apple pie (and mom, of course), is there anything more American than strawberry shortcake? In the pantheon of comfort-food desserts (there is one, you know), strawberry shortcake, rice pudding, and the aforementioned apple pie are the yummy trinity, capable of bringing cheer to the most dire of circumstances.

However, unlike rice pudding, which is primarily sympathetic, like an arm around the shoulder, shortcake—properly made, of course—surges beyond comfort to reign as one of the sunniest, most optimistic of desserts. "Hey, things won't just get better," it says, "They're going to be great!"

Like most Springtime classics, strawberry shortcake relies less on preparation and more on fresh ingredients: strawberries, whipped cream, and sweet biscuit. Anything after that is just nuance.

In this particular case, the nuance comes in the form of mint and orange zest. The mint is a new one for me. But the nip of orange in strawberries is practically encoded in my DNA; Ages ago, when my parents were newlyweds, a sophisticated hostess served cut strawberries with a dash of Cointreau. The taste impressed my mother deeply, and to this day she keeps a small bottle of Cointreau around for the express purpose of mixing into strawberries.

Here the citrus comes entirely in the form of fresh orange zest, in the shortcake as well as the berries. Knowing I would be relying heavily on the zest, I chose a couple of cara cara oranges, with the red flesh. The scent as I microplaned the peels was bewitching. I always grate more than I need and dump it in anyway; it's never seemed to hurt.

These shortcakes looked promising (certainly more promising than the traditional Bisquick variety, which can bring on surfeit within a few bites); I knew the butter and the cream would result in a supremely light, fluffy biscuit.

I was not disappointed. There was really nothing to it, either (my seven-year old daughter was easily able to assist).

The only hard part was running around town trying to get the best strawberries. Normally I would ask for half a flat at Star Grocery, but this was Monday and Star takes delivery Tuesday. The berries at the Berkeley Bowl Marketplace looked pretty enough, but there was no scent coming off them, even at close range (my apologies to those fellow shoppers who saw me apparently snorting the berries). Finally, I found the berried treasure (sorry—it won't happen again, I promise): big, beautiful flats of Blue Moon organic berries from Aptos (near Santa Cruz) at Monterey Market in North Berkeley. Not cheap, but the aroma was intoxicating, and the flavor was season-peak perfect.

This was a remarkable strawberry shortcake. I'm not sure if I would use the mint again—the flavor was a nice touch, although nowhere as vital as the citrus, and it looked a little weary and less-than-appetizing the next day (amazingly, we had all practiced great restraint the night before so some was left over). Nevertheless, we put on brave faces and had more shortcake for breakfast, and the day seemed to smile upon us with hope and possibility.

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