Fancy Schmancy Strawberry Shortcakes.

I do a lot of browsing of other blogs, especially at night with the laptop sitting in my lap. And in case you hadn't noticed, there's a whole passel of food blogs out there. Most of them are average and then every once in a while you come across a real gem. That's what I found at http://vanillakitchen.blogspot.com/

She had this marvelous strawberry shortcake that I couldn't resist making. The presentation is a bit more elegant that the usual shortcake. That's what I love about it, it looks so gosh dang pretty.

1 package of frozen puff pastry cups
1 can of whipped cream

Ingredients for the strawberries:
½ pound strawberries, washed, hulled & chopped
2 TB white sugar
1 TB fresh lemon juice
a splash or two of pure vanilla extract

It’s best to get the strawberries done first as you want them to sit for a while at room temp before serving. I like to let mine sit for at least an hour or two before serving (room temp).

Ingredients for White Chocolate Ganache:
a small saucepan or double boiler
14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
1-2 TB butter

(you can halve this recipe as this makes a lot). Melt white chocolate, heavy cream, and extract over a double boiler. Do not boil. You need to stir this A LOT. It will take a long time before it gets to a thick consistency. Now if you want a little bit of shine to your Ganache add some butter into it just after you take it off the heat. When it’s melted then add butter and take off heat immediately. Stir to combine butter completely. Keep stirring. And stirring. I like to let my Ganache sit a bit before using; the longer it sits the thicker it gets.

Purchase frozen puff pastry cups and bake according to package directions. Fill each cup with marinated strawberries, then top with the warm chocolate ganache, then top with freshly whipped cream, then devour! The puff pastry cups do not keep well overnight, so it's best to eat them right up, but I think you have no problems with that.



Strawberry Shortcake