Toasted Brazil Nuts Rolled Into Strawberry Shortcake

For many there's hut one answer to the dessert problem when strawberries are in season - strawberry shortcake. When one thinks of shortcake, the so-called old-fashioned type made from a plain biscuit dough, served in two or three layers, with whole, sweetened crushed fruit in between and heavy cream, comes first to mind. Shortcakes, however, have gone modern, as have so many of the other foods of the country. Today most cook books will carry more than one recipe variation for the old-fashioned shortcake. This is a sure sign that homemakers want and use more than one recipe for this famous dish.

The latest thing in streamlined shortcakes is a luscious pastry made with toasted Brazil nuts rolled fine. The pastry, which is rolled out quite thin and cut with a three-inch cookie cutter, offers a delightful contrast in flavor and texture to the sweetened strawberry filling. The recipe is given below.

If you use sponge cake for the base of strawberry "shortcake," use powdered mace as the flavoring accent or mix 1/2 teaspoon of it in one pint of whipped cream for topping.

Modern Triple Decker Shortcakes

1.75 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Brazil nuts, toasted and rolled fine
1/4 cup cold water

Sift together cake flour and salt. Out in the shortening and butter. Stir in the Brazil nuts (toasted and rolled fine with your rolling pin). Add cold water to make a dough that sticks together (1/4 cup is generally exactly correct). Roll pastry quite thin on lightly floured board. Cut with three-inch cookie cutter (if pastry is rolled thin, this amount will cut just 18 rounds). Arrange on baking sheet, prick surface. Bake in hot oven (400 degree F.) 12 to 15 minutes. Using three rounds per shortcake, add strawberry filling and topping.

Strawberry Filling: Wash and stem 1 quart strawberries. Save 6 strawberries for top of shortcakes. Crush or slice remainder and cover with sugar. Bring 6 Brazil nuts to boil; boil 3 minutes. Drain and slice each 3 or 4 times. Spread crushed strawberries between layers of pastry, top each shortcake with whipped cream, and decorate with sliced strawberries and sliced nuts.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

14 graham crackers
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
2 cups rhubarb, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 cup each of sugar and water
2 cups strawberries
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Crush crackers, mix thoroughly with sugar and butter. Press mixture firmly into 9-inch pie plate. To make filling, wash and cut rhubarb. Combine sugar and water, bringing mixture to boiling point. Pour syrup over rhubarb. Cook until tender; drain rhubarb, reserving syrup. Poach cleaned strawberries in rhubarb syrup 3 minutes and drain. Combine blended cornstarch and 1/4 cup water with hot syrup. Boil gently, stirring constantly, for 15 minutes. Add butter and lemon juice. Fold in fruit. Cool, turn into pie crust. Serve with whipped cream topping.

Strawberry Bavarian

1 cup crushed strawberries
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 cup irradiated evaporated milk, chilled
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Hull and wash 1 pint strawberries. Press through coarse sieve. Measure 1 cup. Add sugar; set in a cold place to dissolve, stirring occasionally. Soak gelatin in the cold water. Dissolve over boiling water. Cool slightly. Add to strawberry mixture. Whip the thoroughly chilled milk very stiff. Fold in lemon juice, then the berry-gelatin mixture. Pour into a mold rinsed with cold water and let stand in a cold place to set. Serves 6.

Strawberry Ice

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1.5 cups crushed strawberries

Make a syrup of water and sugar. Cool and add lemon juice, salt and crushed strawberries. Place in refrigerator tray and freeze, stirring occasionally.

Orange-strawberry Marshmallow Fluff

1 cup cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup quartered marshmallows
1.5 cups orange segments or half slices
1/2 cup halved fresh strawberries

Whip cream until thick, fold in other ingredients. Chill thoroughly and serve cold. Decorate with whole strawberries.