I seem to be in a desserts-with-berries mood lately, arguably a side effect of berry season, or of being on vacation with friends who like food.  I’m not going to complain.

My friends Ted and Matthew have been talking up the merits of strawberry shortcake with cream biscuits.  I wondered how the recipe would be in a gluten-free rendition.  Armed with a bag of gluten-free flour, Ted and I decided to test this.  We were pretty impressed with the results, especially given that the batter tasted pretty terrible before it was baked.  These came out golden and crumbly, with a not-sweet tang that balanced nicely the vanilla whipped cream and ripe berries.

While there are still ripe strawberries in the farmers’ markets, it’s the perfect time to make this treat.  Here is Ted’s recipe.

Cream Biscuit Strawberry Shortcake (Gluten-Free) - Ted’s recipe

For the biscuits:

2 cups gluten free flour (I used the Bob’s Red Mill general baking flour)

2.5 tsp. baking powder

1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt

1.5-2c heavy cream (depending on the flour, should drip off the spoon in big globs when consistency is right)

For the topping

About 1 cup cream

vanilla to taste

sweetener to taste (I like maple syrup)

2+ pints strawberries, sliced

Preheat oven to 450.

1. In a bowl, fluff together flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix in cream until it’s the consistency of biscuit or cookie dough.

2. Drop spoonfuls on a buttered tray.  Size varies depending what size you want; anywhere from walnut size to ladle size can work, although cooking time will vary.  Bumpy is fine; it’s nice to have bits sticking up to get golden-brown.

3. Bake 10-12 minutes, then watch if not done.  They should be golden all around and baked through when broken open to test. 

4. While they’re baking, whip your cream and add vanilla and any sweetener.

Serve biscuits warm with whipped cream and strawberries.