Strawberry Shortcake with Rum Syrup and Cream

... subtle changes, big differences

Good morning my friends,

I woke up to a gorgeous sunrise - the entire sky was lit with a deep, yellow hue that’s unmistakable of spring. The orchards that surround our property are beginning to come into bud which means that soon, bees will be dancing around like acrobats from tree to tree and I will happily be soaking in all in.

Our pasture is filled with little lambs, hopping straight up into the air, jumping on their Mom as she quietly lays to rest (typical), and causing general mayhem all around the barnyard.

Spring is the best.

Spring sunrise, budding trees, and lambs aside, I wanted to share with you my most favorite recipe for when strawberries come into season in your neck of the woods this spring.

I asked members when strawberries came into season on our Cooking Community Q&A call last month which includes members from all over the world. Strawberries arrival was anywhere from February-July, depending on location. Can you even imagine strawberries in February? What a world!

All this means is that some of you can capitalize on this absolutely wonderful, rum-spiked dessert now, and others (myself included) will need to bookmark it for future delicious dessert days ahead. Either way, do bookmark it - won’t you?

There are subtle distinctive that really make this dessert better, so pay attention to the details:

• I never make this with out of season strawberries. Instead, I just make a different dessert with what is in season or doesn’t require fruit. When I’m eating this, I don’t want to the idea of a strawberry, I want the full deal. So even though that only means we eat it for a few months of the year, it’s spectacular when we do.

• I bake with einkorn flour. It. has a taste. A real taste. And that makes a big difference in sweet biscuits.

• My favorite sugar for baking is maple sugar. It dissolves very easily and acts like a dry ingredient, making conversions very simple. It also comes with a backbone of wonderful, subtle flavor.

• Use good rum! Rum is distilled from sugar cane and has a sweetness to it that is unmistakable. It’s my favorite liquor to bake with and really stands out in a wonderful day.

Okay - that’s all. Let’s bake! (Unless your strawberries haven’t arrived yet… in which case you can just eat the biscuit. No judgment here.)

Strawberry Shortcake with Rum Syrup & Cream

This recipe was originally created upon a return trip from New Orleans. I ordered this for dessert at a reputable restaurant and it was terrible. I came home, armed with a bottle of sweet Bayou rum, and an overwhelming desire to right the strawberry shortcake wrong that had been committed. It was a delicious undertaking.