Thursday, September 17, 2009

Strawberry Shortcake

If I knew your were coming, I'd have baked... strawberry shortcake. I know I once swore to be faithful to wedding cakes -- til death do us part, making, baking, decorating, and obsessing over those frosted frilly layers of Bridezilla cakes. But what can I say. I want a divorce. Or at least an open-relationship. I'm just over it. Why spend so much time making the fillings and the cake, just so you can carefully, and painstakingly cover up every inch of it with what is, let's face it, a thick coating of sugar and butter? I want to make a dessert where I can see all of my hard work, and lust over the flavors, textures and smells that I will enjoy when I take my first bite. I want to eat with my eyes and feel satisfied without ever opening my mouth. And that's what makes strawberry shortcake the perfect dessert. You see the lucious whipped cream cascading out of the sliced-open shortbread biscuit while you smell the meyer lemon zest baked into the dough. The strawberries, so red and supple, invite you to take a juicy bite. The rose-infused sauce, pooling around the edge of the dessert just taunts you to dive in with your spoon. That's what I want my desserts to be -- inviting, irresistable. No more hiding the sweet gem inside a chasitity belt of buttercream.