The Covered Dish - Shortcakes

This past week we had the pleasure of visiting Persimmon Hill Farms. Ernie and Martha Bohner sure know how to sell their products and then some. As you enter the farm you’re likely to encounter Ernie out in the fields tending the fruits of his labors. Rows of shade trees and picnic tables line the perimeter of the picking areas. Parents, children, grandparents and friends are picking blueberries! As we step up the front of the main building the smells of thunder muffins, blueberry scones and cinnamon rolls fill the air. A large glass window allows guests to watch the baking process. I journeyed inside with my husband, Ervin, to enjoy a scone. I should have shared it with Erv, as it was so big! We did share a blueberry lemonade and picked up the Blueberry Amaretto Sauce, I had on my shopping list. 
If you come to the Branson Mountains you simply must drive down to Lampe, MO and enjoy a visit to this wonderful farm. I failed to mention they also grow shitake mushrooms. Next dinner party I’ll send Ervin back for those. Strawberry Shortcakes, growing up they were served in a variety of different ways. My grandmother made hers from scratch, and my mother did too, but we also had the little yellow cup ‘things’ from the grocery store. Why? Mom was so busy canning jam and picking the berries she didn’t always have time to stop and bake. At many large functions churches and organizations simply use biscuits split open from Sam’s. When I asked mom how to make the shortcakes she responded with: ‘Just sweeten up the dough a little bit.’ ‘What dough, and how much sweetening up?’ I responded. She informed me I just needed to use my cloud biscuit recipe for shortcakes. Wow, too easy, right? That cloud biscuit recipe has been adapted for so many treats from my kitchen I can’t begin to list them all.
The major adaptions I use when making the biscuits for shortcakes is I add about ¼ cup of granulated sugar to the dough and ½ - 1 teaspoon of vanilla. When I bake I also like to put sanding sugar on their tops. At serving time open the biscuit in half and cover with sliced strawberries which have been sitting overnight in the refrigerator. Add a bit of sugar and they will create a juice that is just perfect. Don’t forget the whipped cream and perhaps 1 whole berry as a garnish. I actually served these this past Thursday at a family picnic up in Kearney, MO. Another thing I did was to make the biscuits a couple days before the trip and freeze!
The morning we left for the picnic I had very little mess to clean up making it a breeze.
Biscuit Tips:
1. Don’t over work the dough-
2. Consider wearing disposable gloves-
3. Add flour for rolling the dough, as you knead it together.
4. Use frozen butter and grate it into the dry ingredients, works so nice and the butter is more evenly distributed, in my opinion.
5. If company is coming consider making your homemade biscuits way in advance, to save on the kitchen mess.
6. I like to know how everyone likes their biscuits! My dad always liked a hard bottom, whereas I don’t.
7. The use of flavorings and spices can certainly change the outcome. In example, with my blueberry scones I use a little almond flavoring or I grate in fresh lemon zest. I hope you stir up a few biscuits for shortcakes or just for the weekend. 

Simply yours, 
The Covered Dish.

Shortcakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
½-1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup cold butter (frozen is easy to grate)
¾ cup buttermilk
Combine first six ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Using a box grater shred the cold or frozen butter. This makes it so much easier to evenly disperse the butter. Bring the dry ingredients, vanilla and butter together. Slowly add the buttermilk, until all ingredients are bound. This will be very sticky at first. On parchment paper sprinkle down plenty of flour and then drop all the dough onto the flour and work until it’s no longer sticky. Roll out dough to desired thickness, cutting biscuits out. 
Place on parchment covered pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10 15 minutes. If the biscuits were frozen it will take a bit longer to bake. 
Yields about 12 biscuits.