Roasted Strawberry Shortcakes

This is it. The pinnacle of all the delicious treats that you can make with fresh Michigan strawberries. Strawberry Shortcake. Just thinking about it makes me hungry for dozens of fresh berries poured over a hot piece of shortcake and topped with whipped cream (homemade if possible). Oh, yes. This is one of the finest treats of summer. The recipe below was found at the Detroit Free Press website. It looks delicious. Oh man, lets go get some fresh strawberries and cook this up! :)

Serves: 6 / Preparation time: 15 minutes / Total time: 45 minutes The biscuits in this recipe are made with whipped cream and have a delicate texture that pairs well with the warm berries.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, plus additional for sprinkling

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided, plus additional milk or cream for brushing

2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or pure vanilla paste

2 pints small ripe strawberries, cleaned and hulled

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Butter a large baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt.

In a large, deep bowl, beat 1 cup of the cream on medium-high speed just until it holds soft peaks when the beaters are lifted. Beat in the vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, add the whipped cream and stir the mixture with a fork just until it begins to form a dough.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough several times, just until it is well combined. Pat it out to 1/2-inch thick.

With a 3-inch cutter, crinkle-edged if you have one, cut out 6 rounds; gather the scraps and pat them out again if necessary. Brush the biscuits with the whipping cream and sprinkle them with sugar. Place them on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Let the biscuits cool on the pan on a wire rack.

Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Transfer them to a sided baking sheet. When the biscuits are out of the oven, roast the strawberries, stirring twice, for about 12 minutes, until they are soft and fragrant.

Just before serving, in a large bowl beat together the remaining 1/2 cup cream, sour cream and confectioners' sugar on medium speed until soft peaks form.

Split each biscuit in half and place the bottom halves on 6 serving plates. Spoon a generous portion of warm berries over each one, add a dollop of cream, add the biscuit tops and drizzle with the juices on the baking sheet. Serve immediately.

From "Luscious Berry Desserts" by Lori Longbotham (Chronicle Books, $12.97 at Amazon.com). Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.