Strawberry Shortcake with Black Pepper and Elderflower Cream

I guess by all accounts, we've had a ton of rain over here in the UK during the two weeks we were away!! This is well evidenced by the profusion of slugs and snails in our garden completely feasting on my herbs and fruit!



Bwaa ha ha haaaa!!! Time to break out the beer . . . not for drinking silly. I'm going to put it into small tubs throughout the garden. They are attracted to the beer, and fall into the tubs . . . and drown. That'll teach em . . .



I was able to salvage a few handfuls of strawberries, enough to make a few strawberry shortcakes. This is one of my favourite summer desserts.



I gave it a bit of a twist this time though . . . by adding some snappy black pepper to the berries . . .



And by infusing the cream with some elderflower cordial.



All in all . . . totally delicious. This would make a fabulous party dessert for those summer barbeques. (I hope the sun decides to shine at least some of the time this summer . . . a barbeque would be nice!)



One can but dream . . .



*Strawberry Shortcakes with Black Pepper and Elderflower Cream*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A unique and delicious twist on the traditional dessert, with the addition of snappy black pepper and a delicate elderflower cordial infused cream.

4 large buttermilk biscuits, topped with some demerara sugar before baking
(I use my recipe which you can find here)
1 pound (16 ounces) fresh strawberries
3 TBS caster sugar
freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the cream:
225ml of double or whipping cream (1 cup), well chilled
3 to 4 TBS elderflower cordial
3 TBS caster sugar

Wash the berries and gently dry them. Hull and then slice into a bowl. Stir in the sugar and some freshly ground black pepper to taste. Set aside to macerate for about 15 minutes.

Whisk the cream along with the caster sugar, until it forms soft folds. Gently fold in the elderflower cordial.

Split the buttermilk biscuits and place the bottom half of each onto a dessert plate. Top with one forth of the macerated berries. Divide the elderflower cream between each, placing on top of the berries. Top with the biscuit tops. Serve immediately.

Note: The cream can be whipped ahead of time and kept covered and chilled in the refrigerator. I do not advise preparing the berries too far ahead of time as they will become too soft and release too many of their juices. You don't want to leave them to macerate much longer than 15 minutes for optimum flavour and texture. The biscuits are best made ahead and stored in an airtight container until you are ready to use them. When baking simply brush the tops with some milk and sprinkle with some demerara sugar for a nice look and texture.