Gordon Ramsay strawberry shortcakes are crisp pâte sablée discs filled with a thick strawberry coulis and topped with wild strawberries. They serve six and take about 45 minutes of work, plus an hour of chilling in two stages.
The recipe is from A Chef for All Seasons, in the summer chapter. Ramsay says that as a Scot he is partial to “a nice crisp shortbread”, but he makes his using a pâte sablée dough instead. That means egg yolks in the biscuit.
The flour is what makes this work. He uses strong bread flour, not plain, so the discs hold the dip you press into the centre. That well is what stops the coulis running off the edge onto the plate.
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Gordon Ramsay Wild Strawberry Shortcakes
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Medium6
servings30
minutes12
minutes430
kcal1 hr 45 min
A summer dessert from Gordon Ramsay A Chef for All Seasons. Egg yolk biscuits baked low and pale, then filled at the table with a cream-thickened strawberry purée and Alpine berries.
Ingredients
- For the shortcakes:
4 large free-range egg yolks
120g caster sugar (⅓ cup + 2 tbsp superfine sugar), plus extra for sprinkling
120g unsalted butter, softened (1 stick + 1 tbsp)
170g strong flour (1⅓ cups bread flour), plus extra for rolling
1½ tsp baking powder
- For the strawberry coulis:
250g ripe strawberries, hulled (9 oz)
1 tbsp caster sugar (superfine sugar), or to taste
A squeeze of lemon juice
2 tbsp thick double cream (heavy cream)
- To serve:
300g wild (Alpine) strawberries, hulled (10½ oz)
Lightly whipped sweetened cream
Directions
- Make the dough: Beat the egg yolks with the caster sugar (superfine sugar) until thick and creamy. Gradually beat in the softened butter. Sift the flour and baking powder together and mix in. Knead lightly to a soft dough, wrap in cling film (plastic wrap) and chill for 30 minutes.
- Cut the discs: Roll out on a lightly floured board to 5mm (¼ in) thick. Cut six discs about 12cm (4½ in) across, using a coffee saucer as a template and re-rolling as needed. Place on a non-stick baking sheet and prick a few times with a fork. Press the centres to make a slight dip, pinch the edges into a rim if you like, then chill for 30 minutes.
- Bake: Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F), Gas 2. Sprinkle the discs with a little sugar and bake for 12 minutes until pale golden. Leave on the sheet for a minute to firm, then slide onto a wire rack with a palette knife to cool and crisp.
- Make the coulis: Process the ripe strawberries to a purée with sugar to taste, a squeeze of lemon juice and the double cream (heavy cream).
- Assemble: Just before serving, spoon the coulis into the dip in each shortcake. Arrange the wild strawberries around the side. Serve with lightly whipped sweetened cream.
Notes
- Ramsay’s other biscuit dough, the rosemary shortbread in Bread Street Kitchen, uses the Scottish rub-in method with no egg at all. This one is a pâte sablée built on four yolks, which is why it is richer and holds a pressed shape. Assemble at the last minute.
FAQs
What is pâte sablée and how is it different from shortbread?
Pâte sablée is a French biscuit dough built on egg yolks. You beat four yolks with the sugar until thick, then work in soft butter. The result is rich and crisp rather than sandy.
Ramsay’s other biscuit goes the opposite way. The rosemary shortbread in Bread Street Kitchen has no egg and no raising agent at all, so it bakes short and crumbly. This dough carries four yolks and baking powder.
Why does Ramsay use strong bread flour here?
Strong flour carries more protein, so the discs hold the dip you press into the centre. A plain flour disc softens and spreads, and you lose the well that holds the coulis.
It is the opposite of his scone rule. With the cheese scones in Ultimate Home Cooking he warns against overworking the dough, because gluten turns them tough. Here he wants that gluten.
What are wild strawberries, and can you use normal ones?
Wild strawberries, also called Alpine, are a different species from the ones in the supermarket. Ramsay gives the tell in the book: their seeds stick up from the surface, while cultivated strawberries have seeds pressed into the flesh.
They are tiny, heavily perfumed and only around in June and July. Small cultivated strawberries cut in half stand in fine, though you lose most of that scent. If you would rather use ordinary berries in bulk, the brioche summer pudding takes over a kilo.
Why is there double cream in the coulis?
Two tablespoons of thick double cream (heavy cream) go into the purée with the sugar and lemon. The fat gives it body, so it sits in the well instead of sliding off the biscuit.
The Eton mess bombe makes its strawberry coulis with no cream in it, then ripples it through the cream separately. Here the cream goes into the purée itself, which is what holds it still.
Why bake the discs at only 150°C?
A low oven dries the biscuit out slowly rather than colouring it. You want pale golden and crisp all the way through, which is why 12 minutes at 150°C (300°F) is enough.
The raspberry millefeuille does the reverse, dusted with icing sugar and baked at 220°C (425°F) so the pastry caramelises. Colour is the whole point there. Here colour means overbaked.
Can you make strawberry shortcakes ahead?
The discs, yes. Bake them up to two days ahead and keep them in an airtight tin. The coulis also holds for two days covered in the fridge.
Assembled, they last about twenty minutes, because the coulis soaks in and the base turns soft. The strawberry glory works the same way. Make its crème pâtissière a day ahead, then build the glass just before serving.
