EXPRESS LINE : Shortcake Buscuits: Short Work

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Marinated artichoke salad Lemon roast chicken Rosemary baby carrots Strawberry Shortcake Every year in the produce section, stacked in neat rows next to the season’s first crop of strawberries, you find shortcake biscuits. Their purpose: to get you to buy more strawberries . . . and a can or tub or carton of pricey whipped cream. Supermarkets know that strawberry shortcake, with the cake premade, is an easy dessert.

But homemade shortcake biscuits are actually simple to prepare. And they taste better.

Here are some tips for a light, flaky biscuit: Cut the chilled butter into the flour until the dough is coarse and mealy. The even distribution of fat makes for a flaky texture. Quickly stir the liquid into the dry ingredients. Overmixing makes for a tough biscuit. Gently knead the dough on a lightly floured surface. This helps distribute the baking powder evenly and develop the gluten so the biscuits will double in volume.

When cutting out the biscuit, dip the cutter in flour to prevent sticking and press straight down. If the pressure is uneven, the biscuit may be lopsided.

Scraps of dough may be re-rolled, but the biscuit will be less tender.

We used vanilla powder in our recipe but an equal amount of vanilla extract may be substituted.

In our menu the emphasis was placed on dessert. Lighten the load for the rest of the dinner by buying a roasted chicken. For the vegetable, buy peeled baby carrots: They take only minutes to microwave. Tossed with butter and seasoned with fresh rosemary, they provide the perfect accompaniment.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Staples

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

Sugar

1/2 cup butter plus 1 tablespoon

1 egg

Shopping 1/2 pint half and half

1 bottle vanilla powder

1 bottle cardamom pods

2 (1-pint) baskets strawberries

Whipping cream

1. Wash 2 baskets strawberries and remove stems. Crush half of berries. Slice remaining berries and combine with crushed fruit. Sweeten berries with sugar to taste if tart.

2. Measure 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla powder into bowl. Stir until ingredients are blended.

3. Cut 1/2 cup butter into small pieces. Cut into flour mixture using pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

4. Beat 1 egg and blend with 1/2 cup half and half.

5. Make well in center of flour mixture. Pour in egg mixture. Quickly mix until blended.

6. Gently knead dough on floured board several times. Roll dough to 1-inch thick. Cut out 4 rounds with floured 3 1/2-inch cutter. Re-roll remaining dough and repeat.

7. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and brush tops of biscuits.

8. Remove seeds from cardamom pods and crush to make 1/8 teaspoon. Blend with 1 tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle sugar over tops of biscuits.

9. Bake at 450 degrees 10 to 15 minutes or until biscuits are browned and done in center.

10. To serve, split warm biscuits. Spoon berries over bottom. Replace tops. Spoon over additional berries. Serve with whipping cream or sweetened whipped cream.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.