Jazz Fest Strawberry Shortcake

A beloved Jazz Fest tradition from the booth run by Judah Lea, using the same recipe his mom started 41 years ago.

Ingredients

For the Strawberries:

Fresh Louisiana strawberries (Ponchatoula preferred)

White sugar (Domino recommended)

For the Shortbread:

Unsalted butter

Light brown sugar

All-purpose flour

For the Whipped Cream:

Confectioners’ sugar

Heavy whipping cream

Instructions: 

Macerated Strawberries
Hull and clean your strawberries, removing any bruised spots. Toss with white sugar until well coated. Cover and let sit for 24 hours to draw out the juices — this step is essential.

German Shortbread
In a mixer with a dough hook, cream together butter and light brown sugar. Gradually add flour until the dough reaches a play-dough-like consistency (not sticky, not crumbly). Roll out to ½ inch thick, cut into rounds, and bake at 350°F for about 13 minutes, until lightly golden on the edges. Let cool.

Whipped Cream
In a mixing bowl with a balloon whisk, combine heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar to taste. Start whipping on low, then increase to high (cover bowl to avoid splatter). Whip until you hear a soft “whup whup” sound and the cream holds its shape. Don’t over-whip or it’ll turn into butter.

To Serve
Place a shortbread cookie in a bowl, spoon strawberries and their juice over the top, and finish with a generous dollop of whipped cream. Optional: drizzle a little extra juice over the cream.

To Eat
Break the cookie into a few chunks to soak up the juice. Get some of everything — cookie, berries, cream — in each bite. Slurp the last bits from the bottom. That’s the good stuff.