Strawberry Shortcakes with Balsamic Chocolate Glaze

A while ago, I asked what recipes my friends wanted to see on the blog, and my friend Eva suggested strawberry shortcakes.  I didn't get to it right away, but had been working on it in the back of my mind. I wanted to make strawberry shortcakes, but I wanted to kick them up a notch.  So I asked myself: what's normally missing from strawberry shortcakes?

Drumroll . . . chocolate!  (And balsamic vinegar, obvi.)  I'd been wanting to try a balsamic chocolate syrup ever since a friend of mine brought chocolate balsamic vinegar and a quart of vanilla ice cream to a Valentine's party I hosted years ago.  So, here it is!  Strawberry shortcakes enhanced with a tangy balsamic chocolate glaze.  If the glaze weirds you out or you want a more classic dessert, you can make them without.  But, I suggest you give chocolate balsamic a chance!

This recipe looks a little complex, and it does have a lot of components.  But, the strawberries and balsamic chocolate glaze can be made the day before and stored in the fridge.  Bring the strawberries back to room temperature while you make the biscuits, and reheat the glaze until it's pourable.  The shortcakes are easy and bake up fast, and the whipped cream is ready in no time.



A word about these shortcakes: they are really good!  I am already getting excited about having the leftover ones for breakfast with a little butter and jam.  Normally I don't trust baked goods from Cooking Light, but was won over by the brown sugar and nuts in this recipe.  The shortcakes aren't nutty, but the pecans and brown sugar give them a rich flavor and they aren't overly sweet.



Also, this is what I'm bringing to this month's virtual chocolate party hosted by Roxana's Home Baking!  Check out what everyone else is bringing here.

Ingredients (serves 6; you'll have 6 extra shortcakes):

1 pound organic strawberries, trimmed and sliced
2 teaspoons sugar

For the shortcakes (adapted from Cooking Light):

2 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup toasted pecans (or almonds), finely chopped
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
5 1/2 tablespoons very cold butter (1/3 cup)
3/4 cup milk (I used 2%) or buttermilk
Extra flour for rolling
Sugar for sprinkling

For the balsamic chocolate glaze:

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
1/2 vanilla bean
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Pinch of salt

For the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy cream, or coconut cream scraped from the top of one can of chilled coconut milk
1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Toss the strawberries to coat with the sugar and set aside.

To make the glaze, place the vinegar in a small saucepan, and add the seeds from half a vanilla bean.  Cook over medium heat until the vinegar starts to boil, then reduce the heat to low.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vinegar is thickened and reduced by half, about 40 minutes.  Add the sugar and the chocolate to the saucepan and stir until smooth.

To make the shortcakes, preheat the oven to 450 and combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl.  Grate in the butter with a cheese grater (this is why you need it really cold!).  Mix with your fingers until the mixture is uniform and resembles coarse sand.  Add the milk or buttermilk and mix just until combined.  On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough lightly five times.  Pat it out until it's about half an inch thick, and use a biscuit cutter or something else round--I used a small jar--to cut out circles about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.  Place the shortcakes on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with a little sugar.  Bake for about ten minutes, until puffed and golden brown.

To make the whipped cream, add the vanilla bean seeds to the cream in a large bowl.  Beat on high until soft peaks form, then sift in the powdered sugar and beat again until stiff peaks form.

To serve, cut each shortcake in half and top with strawberries.  Drizzle with balsamic chocolate glaze, and top with a generous dollop of whipped cream.