There are some dishes that actually scream, “I’m in season. Quick, eat me right now”. In July, it’s crunchy, creamy, corn on the cob. In August it’s juice dripping down your chin tomatoes freshly plucked from the garden. And in June, tah dah…it’s strawberries. Not strawberries as you know them from the rest of the year, but the real deal, locally grown, sweetened by the same sun that shines on you strawberries. Strawberries so good, they make you forget winter. Magic strawberries, indeed.

We have about four weeks of good strawberry eating and though I have been known to make a jar or two of strawberry jam once in a while, I’m mostly a fan of eating them naked, just as they are. But when family arrives for sunday dinners, it’s time to make that summertime dish of dreams and memories, strawberry shortcake.

 Because shortcake as usual is a little bland, I can’t resist perking it up with a little orange zest. But keep in mind shortcake’s major function, after all, is to act as a sponge. Though it may seem like sacrilege to douse these perfect berries with sugar, I love the juicy sauce that ensues. It softens the berries a bit and enables the shortcake to perform its ordained job of sopping up all the sweet/red juice. To make matters even more delicious, I pair the shortcake and berries with a scoop or two of buttermilk ice cream. Even if you don’t really like to drink buttermilk, you can’t let that minor detail stop you from trying it. A frozen custard, really, this ice cream is rich with egg yolks and heavy cream. The perfect icy, creamy, tangy accompaniment, buttermilk ice cream just might turn out be the strawberry’s new best friend.

So, don’t hesitate to create your own summer memory on a plate. Whether you buy them at a farmer’s market or pick them yourself, search out your own magic berries in the next few weeks and make this delicious dessert for family, friends or just for you and you alone. Quick. Eat strawberries right now.

Kitchen Counter Point: There are two important points in making the best shortcake. 1) It’s important to start with cold butter. That way, some of the little nubs of butter remain in the dough and help to puff it when they steam and melt in the oven. If you use warm butter it will be completely rubbed into the dough and the shortcakes will be heavy like  hockey pucks. 2) The next step is to add the buttermilk and just mix until it comes together. You don’t want to work it too much at this point as the gluten in the flour will become activated and become tough. Toss with a fork or your hands until the dough just comes together, then pat it out on a floured surface and cut into triangles. It’s so easy.

2 pints strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Pinch salt

Shortcakes
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, log quartered and diced into small squares
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup buttermilk plus 1 tablespoon, divided
2 tablespoons coarse sugar like Sugar in the Raw or granulated sugar

Buttermilk Ice Cream, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350ºF

Wash the strawberries and hull and slice them. Add them to a medium bowl and combine with the 1/3 cup sugar and lemon juice. Stir and set the strawberries in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours so that the sugar has a chance to pull the juices from the strawberries and make a nice juicy sauce.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and stir with a whisk or fork to combine. Add the butter and orange zest and squish together with the tips of your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Add the 1/2 cup buttermilk and quickly combine with a fork until it forms a mass. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and pat into a circle about 1-inch thick. Cut crosswise into 6 triangles and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining tablespoon of buttermilk and sprinkle the coarse sugar over the tops. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

To serve, slice the shortbreads horizontally and place the bottoms on a small plate. Spoon the strawberries and juice over the shortcake and replace the top. Serve with buttermilk ice cream and swoon.

Buttermilk Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Add the cream to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

While the cream heats, whisk together the yolks, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. When the cream is hot, slowly pour it into the yolks while beating them with a whisk. Transfer the cream/egg mixture back to the pan and cook over medium heat until thickened slightly (don’t boil) about 3 minutes. Pour the custard into a large, clean, heat-proof bowl and cool to room temperature. Whisk in the buttermilk and lemon juice and chill the ice cream base until very cold (see tip). Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Most will tell you to transfer the ice cream to a container and freeze it until it is firm, at least 4 hours, but I never have time for that. Besides, I like it soft, smooth and creamy and serve it straight from the ice cream maker bowl. Serve with strawberry short cakes or anything else that you want to be out of this world delicious.

Tip: I usually make ice cream the day I’m going to use it, so I’ve come up with a way to chill the base fast. Pour it into a 9x 13 metal pan and place in the freezer. Check every 30 minutes or so and give it a stir. Remove it before it begins to set up and process it in the ice cream maker. If it begins to set up and freeze, let it warm up a bit in the fridge. If you add it to the ice cream maker too cold, it can freeze up too fast on the outside edges and jam the machine.