Conference turris::cooks

    
    Someone else may give you a recipe from "scratch" but I've 
    never bothered, and people have said "This is the best
    home made shortcake I've ever had!"                             

    Take equal amounts of bisquick and milk, mix until lumps
    are gone.  Pour into a buttered pan, bake at recommended 
    temperature (I think it's 375 or 400, check the box) until
    cooked through.  The amounts vary, depending on how much 
    you need to make, but the quality is always there.  It's
    really great.
    
    

    I use the bisquick biscuits too.  They're a good substitute for what
    I'd really like to find a recipe for ....which is "cream of tarter
    biscuits" which my grandma used to make when I was little.  Ever heard
    of them?
    
    Lorraine
    

    Baking Soda Biscuits.
    
    Available at any fine New England Bakery.

    Well, thanks for the ideas, but what *is* bisquick? New England is a
    long way from Basingstoke, and if they don't sell it in Tescos or
    Sainsburys', forget it!
    
    Help appreciated, though.  I'd still like a 'from scratch' recipe, as
    my sister is definitely an organic, E number free person.
    
    Aly

    The TIME/LIFE cookbook set (the America in the South one) has a
    wonderful biscuit recipe.  I used it once and now I won't use anything
    else.  I'll dig it out  and record it here as soon as I'm back near
    a terminal.  I'm out at customers for the most part, but I expect
    to be in the office during the next few weeks.

    Bisquick is the brand name for a prepared buttermilk biscuit mix.  If you
    don't have access to this, just use a buttermilk biscuit recipe.
    
    Also good for shortcake is pound cake, angel food cake, or scones.
    
    -j
           
    

    2 cups all purpose flour
    2 tsp baking powder
    1 tsp salt
      Sugar
    1/3 cup shortening
    2/3 cups milk
    2 pints strawberries
    3 tblsp butter or margarine softened
    1 cup heavy or whipping cream
    
    1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Grease 8 inch round cake pan.
        In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and 2 tblsp sugar.
        With pastry blender or 2 knives used scissors fashion, cut in
        shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk;
        quickly stir just until mixture forms soft dough and leaves
        side of bowl.
    
    2.  On lightly floured surface, knead dough 10 timex.  Pat dough
        evenly into cake pan.  Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.
    
    3.  Wash strawberries.  Reserve 4 whole strawberries for garnish.
        Half or Quarter remaining berries.  In mediuim size bowl, mix
        cut up berries with 1/2 cup sugar until sugar dissolves.  Do
        not let berries stand too long or they will become very liquid)
    
    4.  Invert shortcake on work surface.  With long serrated knife,
        carefully split hot shortcake horizontally.  Spread both cut
        surfaces of shortcake with butter or margarine.
    
    5.  In small bowl, with mixer at mediuim speek, beat heavy cream
        until soft peaks form.
    
    6.  Place bottom half of shortcake, cut side up, on dessert platter;
        top with half of strawberry mixture.  Arrange top cake half,
        cut side down, on strawberry mixture.  Spoon remaining strawberry
        mixture over top of cake.  Then pile whipped cream on top of
        strawberries.  Garnish cream with reserved whole berries.
    
    340 CALORIES PER SERVING.
    YIELD:  10 SERVINGS
    
    Enjoy!
    

    For a little variation in flavor, try adding some cinnamon (to taste)
    to the strawberries and let them sit for an hour or so, or try
    sweetening with honey instead of sugar.  I usually make individual
    biscuits, but I like the idea of a whole shortcake. It takes a lot
    less time to prepare one large than several small shortcakes.
    
    

    2 cups unbleached white flour (or half whole wheat pastry flour and
      half unbleached flour)
    3 teapoons baking powder
    1/3 cup chilled butter (or margarine)
    1/2 teapoon vanilla extract
    2/3-3/4 cup milk
    
    Mix together flour, baking powder and butter until evenly blended.
    Add vanilla extract.  Gradually add milk, adding just enough to
    form a soft dough.  Roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/2 inch
    thickness.  Cut into 12 3-inch rounds and place on prepared cooking
    baking sheet.  Bake in a preheated oven at 425 for 12 minutes or
    until just lightly browned.