Martha Monday!

Remember the last edition of Martha Monday? I highlighted some of Martha's Red, White and Blue desserts that I was thinking of making for 4th of July. Her Summer Shortcake recipe really caught my eye. Here's Martha's Summer Shortcake:

When I mentioned this delight last Monday, I had every intention of making it for the 4th. As it turns out, I just couldn't wait that long!

I made my summer shortcake mostly according to the directions. Martha's recipe serves 12-15, and since I wasn't feeding that many people, I cut the recipe in half. Though I was worried a few times while I made the dough, everything turned out just fine.

Cutting the stars was difficult. The biscuit layer was hot, which heated up the cookie cutter, so I had to stop every two stars and wait for it to cool off. Here at TMI, this was an opportunity to busy ourselves by eating the stars that had been cut out. Delicious!

What a perfect little star.

The directions say to wait until just before serving to assemble the shortcake. This is good advice. I had to transport all of the components to our friends' house for dinner, so I put everything together there. First, the whipped cream goes on top of the bottom shortcake layer. And yes, this is really real whipped cream. Fancy!

Next, the strawberries go on.

Finally, I place the top shortcake layer on, and filled in the stars with the remaining strawberries. Of course, now you can't see my perfect little stars. Oh well.

This summer shortcake was so good! (Even without the blueberries.) I would definitely rate this recipe as a TMI favorite.

No need to wait until the 4th of July: make this dessert now and make it often. This kind of deliciousness needs to be enjoyed all summer long.