[Urbane Guerrilla]

This is not really a recipe; it's an assembly.

Strawberry Shortcake...

...needs biscuits (in the American sense), not yellow spongecake, dangit. Needs their soda-bicarb/baking powder piquancy to balance the sweetness of the berries and whipped cream.

Equipment: mixer, paring knife, bowl for sliced strawberries.

Multiplies readily. I usually stop at a double batch of about a quart of whipping cream -- 2 pints. Don't have to, though...

Ingredients:
1 pint Whipping Cream
Double Cream, Devonshire Cream, Mexican Crema Agria, slightly thinned yoghurt, quantity sufficient to dab on, optional
3 little green baskets Strawberries, sliced to about 1/4 inch or simply halved.
1/2 C Sugar, divided -- 4-5oz castor sugar. Or use a proportion of Equal or Splenda.
Biscuits, quantity sufficient, halved flatwise. Use your preferred American biscuit recipe to make them, or buy them from a bakeshop. I use the biscuits I can get at Mexican bakeries locally -- somewhat buttery, faintly sweet. Fairly large biscuits are preferable but not necessary.

Procedure:
De-leaf and slice Strawberries. The big ones can give three or four slices. Toss in bowl with half the Sugar coat, put in fridge 30-60 minutes to marinate and exude a little juice. If other berries tempt you as well, put them in the marinating bowl with the sliced strawberries. Slice the Biscuits into flat rounds while the berries marinate in the fridge.

Whip the Cream in the mixer. When it just begins to form peaks, stream in the remaining half of the Sugar. Continue whipping until Cream forms firm peaks.

With the berries marinated, spoon them onto the biscuit halves, adding a dollop of the local interesting creams if desired. Or a touch of some liqueur. Pile whipped cream on top. May serve immediately, or may be held in fridge.