Friday Finds: Strawberry & Lemon Curd Shortcake

It's not all that often that I post a dessert recipe here on A Squared, but this is a good one!

This Friday Find recipe is a bit of a hybrid: It is part me, part inspired by a dessert I recently had at Lillie's Q, and features a recipe from my old faithful Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook. After dining at Lillie's Q recently I could not stop thinking about the key lime curd and strawberry shortcake they were serving that night. It was so good! So, when I spotted a jar of lemon curd at the grocery store a few days later I knew exactly what I'd be serving for a dessert at our impromptu Labor Day BBQ.

The actual shortcake recipe comes from Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook and I cannot believe that this is the first recipe from this cookbook that I have featured. I consult it all the time! This shortcake was really easy to make and it turned out exactly how I wanted it to: like a slightly sweet, crumbly, buttery, biscuit. Paired with the fresh berries, sweet and tart curd, and topped off with whipped cream it was a perfect dessert to celebrate the end of summer.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup milk *I used skim and it worked well

For serving--

• 1 Tbs. honey
• 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 4 cups sliced strawberries
• Jarred lemon curd
• Whipped cream

Whisk together honey and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Add sliced berries and stir to combine. Allow to macerate for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Stir together sugar, flour, and baking powder. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine egg and milk; add to flour mixture. Stir just to moisten. Spread the dough in a greased 8x1.5-inch round baking pan.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Split into 2 layers and then cut into 8 wedges.

Warm lemon curd slightly (I did so in the microwave on medium heat for 30 seconds) until smooth and consistency softens. Place one open wedge on each plate and add a dollop of lemon curd to the bottom half of the wedge. Add strawberries, place top layer back on top of the berries. Finish off with whipped cream and serve.