Berries, without Chocolate

Birthday season abounds. A and I took our friend K for a Mexican lunch on rainy Saturday. We walked in and out during stops in the drops. We ate to the occasional downpour and drips in a covered outdoor patio. The food was quite tremendous. If people have lived in Mexico or South America, they come here. We planned to return to my place for dessert. I consulted A and she wisely suggested we go with the lighter dessert choice. This being strawberry shortcake instead of cannoli cheesecake. Short and cheese are faves of our friend K. Two weeks prior Henry's offered local sweet berries which shocked the pants off me. In January? Lucky for K and lucky for all. Baking instructor was depression-era survivor Mildred Armstrong Kalish. Adapted from Little Heathens, page 230.

Scout's Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

First, pick, wash, and hull two quarts of dead-ripe strawberries. Sprinkle half a cup of sugar over the berries and set them aside while you make the dough. In a bowl place two cups of flour, two tablespoons of sugar, one teaspoon of salt, and one tablespoon of baking powder. Cut in half a cup of white lard, butter, or Crisco. Use that gadget that looks a bit like a stirrup made of wires; it was designed for cutting shortening into flour. The mixture should look like very coarse cornmeal. Add one beaten egg to two thirds cup of whole milk. Now add this to the flour in the bowl all at once and stir with a fork until the mixture is just barely moistened. This is the crucial instruction for flaky shortcake. You will ruin the whole thing if you mix thoroughly. Using a fork, gently spread this dough into a greased eight-by-eight-inch pan. Bake for sixteen minutes in a 450 F oven until nicely browned. Remove from the oven, cool in the pan for about ten minutes and, with a fork, carefully split the shortcake horizontally. Divide the strawberries between the layer and over the top. Slosh with great gobs of not-too-stiffly-beaten whipped cream and enjoy.