Strawberries With Orange Scented Shortcakes and Orange Cream

Here is my favorite recipe for strawberry shortcake that I created from different recipes. The beautiful red strawberries really shine in it! Add some blueberries to it for a red, white and blue celebration for the 4th of July. Don't forget to use organic strawberries!They use 15 different pesticides on conventional strawberries! Plus they taste WAY better!

• Ready In: 47 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• the strawberry

• 4 -5  pints  of local organic strawberries or 4 -5  pints  any combination berries
• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 1⁄3 cup  orange juice (I use the juice of the orange I zested)
• 2  teaspoons vanilla
• 1  teaspoon lemon juice

• the shortcake

• 1 1⁄4 cups flour, I like to use whole wheat pastry flour. It makes a stiffer biscuit but more healthy
• 3 -5  tablespoons sugar, depending on how sweet you like it
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 3  tablespoons  of chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1  tablespoon orange zest
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄2 cup low-fat buttermilk

• orange creme

• 1  cup fat free sour cream or 1  cup low-fat sour cream
• 3  tablespoons sugar
• 2  teaspoons orange zest
• 1  teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Combine 1 cup strawberry halves, 1/3 cup sugar, orange juice, vanilla, and lemon juice in a bowl, and mash with a potato masher (or a blender). Stir in the rest of the strawberries. Cover and chill.
2. Preheat oven to 425°.
3. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives (I use my fingers) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, vanilla and orange zest stirring just until moist (dough will be sticky).
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 4 times with floured hands. Pat dough into round flat shape and cut dough into 6 triangles. I like to sprinkle a little sugar on top for the twinkle. Place 1 inch apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Meanwhile whip the Orange Creme ingredients together.
5. Split shortcakes in half horizontally using a serrated knife; place each bottom half on a dessert plate. Spoon a generous amount strawberry mixture over each bottom half. Top with shortcake tops; spoon more strawberry mixture over each top. Top each serving with orange crème; garnish with a thin orange slice or mint leaves for beauty. This recipe is easily doubled.
6. PS The Recipzaar program put this together really strange and I can't seem to fix it. They make the three different processes look as one. So realize that there are the Strawberries, the Shortcakes and the Orange Creme.(they spelled it oranges creme) Thank you.