A Shortcut To Strawberry Shortcake
A good strawberry shortcake doesn’t have to be fussy; you can make one quickly with a simple homemade jam, ladyfingers and whipped cream from the can. 
Photo by Cynthia Hochswender
food

A Shortcut To Strawberry Shortcake

Sweet red strawberries from California have been at grocery stores for weeks now, and soon we will begin to see the smaller, tarter local berries.

Even though strawberry is my favorite jam flavor, I rarely make it. But this year I figured out a berry preserve “cheat” that is delicious even if it’s not perfect.

A really good strawberry preserve is thick and sweet. That’s what you’ll get if you use raspberries for this recipe.

If you use strawberries, you’ll get more of a gel than a jam — which in fact makes a perfect filling for strawberry shortcake, the kind you make with golden cake or with the delicate little ladyfingers that you can find in the produce departments at most groceries at this time of year.

This is more of a technique than it is a recipe; the quantities will vary. I find that I never finish an entire box of strawberries before the berries begin to soften. That makes them less fun to nibble on but once they’re ultra ripe it’s the perfect time to preserve them.

This jam takes literally about 10 minutes to make. And the little shortcakes take another five. If you make a lot of strawberry jam, then spread it over the flat side of one golden cake. Cover the jam with whipped cream (the stuff from the can is fine!). Cover with the other cake (most cake mixes give you two cakes).

For a smaller amount, do the same thing with ladyfingers instead of cake.

One of the nice things with this jam is that you don’t need much sugar to make it “jam.” I’ve made this recipe with a half cup of sugar and it tastes splendid.

 

Ten-minute berry jam

4 cups of berries, fresh lemon juice, up to 2 cups of sugar, 1 pack of powdered gelatin (I used Knox; if you prefer a vegetarian option you can use Japanese agar agar, which is made from seaweed)

 

Pour a half cup of warm water on a small plate. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over it. Set aside.

Put the berries in a small non-metallic pot with the sugar and a few squeezes of lemon juice. Bring to a gentle simmer and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, while the gelatin “gels” with the water.

Remove the berries from the stove and gently slide the gelatin into the pot and gently mix them together.

Put in a jar or bowl, cover and leave in the refrigerator overnight, trying your best not to move or shake it.

food

Latest News

Employment Opportunities

Employment Opportunities

LJMN Media, publisher of The Lakeville Journal (first published in 1897) and The Millerton News (first published in 1932) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization.

We seek to help readers make more informed decisions through comprehensive news coverage of communities in Northwest Connecticut and Eastern Dutchess County in New York.

Keep ReadingShow less
about us

Pine Plains Bombers defeated at Section IX Regional

Pine Plains Bombers defeated at Section IX Regional

Giana Dormi, no. 3 of Pine Plains, and Michelle Blackburn, no. 12 of Pine Plains, put the pressure on Juliana Manginelli, no. 11 of Tuckahoe, as she tries to find a pass during the second round of the regional tournament at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, N.Y. on Tuesday, March 11.

Photo by Nathan Miller

NEWBURGH, N.Y. — The Pine Plains Bombers were knocked out in second round of the Section IX regional tournament after a hard fought game against the Tuckahoe Tigers on Tuesday, March 11.

The Bombers won the tip and got off to an early lead, but the Tuckahoe Tigers outpaced them quickly and finished the game 59-25.

Keep ReadingShow less
basketball

County comptroller releases special report on federal funding

County comptroller releases special report on federal funding

Dan Aymar-Blair

Photo provided

POUGHKEEPSIE — Dutchess comptroller Dan Aymar-Blair released a special report early last week on federal monies and how they move through the county level, including the disbursement process in the county; how federal funding benefits Dutchess residents and whether any fiscal distribution issues have surfaced locally as a result of actions taken on behalf of the Trump administration.

According to Aymar-Blair’s report, federal programming represents roughly 10% of Dutchess expenditures, not including any COVID-19 assistance. As an illustration of federal- to county-level distribution and spending, in 2023, under the Biden administration, the county received approximately $65 million from the U.S. government with $25 million going toward direct aid in support of such programs as home energy assistance and food stamps. Federal monies were also disbursed — and continue to be directed — toward county-level agencies, programming and supports such as adoption, foster care and child care needs, emergency/disaster assistance, infrastructure development and maintenance, and workforce initiatives.

Keep ReadingShow less
government

‘Selected Shorts’ comes to Stissing Center

‘Selected Shorts’ comes to Stissing Center

The Stissing Center was bustling just before the show on Sunday, March 9.

Photo by Alec Linden

PINE PLAINS — The Stissing Center was packed on Sunday for an afternoon performance of podcast and NPR series “Selected Shorts.” The sold-out show, which was recorded for national broadcast at a later date, brought a lineup of four accomplished actors and storytellers to the Pine Plains stage to recite a selection of short stories from award-winning authors.

“Selected Shorts,” a product of Manhattan-based performing arts powerhouse Symphony Space, features prominent actors who recite works of short fiction. The full program usually revolves around a theme; Sunday afternoon’s focus was “transformations.”
Comedian, writer and actress Ophira Eisenberg — or “renaissance woman of storytelling,” as Stissing Center Executive Director Patrick Trettenero introduced her — assumed hosting duties, warming up the crowd with jokes about Brooklyn egg prices and doctors with self-esteem issues — “I want a megalomaniac with a god complex and no hobbies.”

Keep ReadingShow less
events