TWO WAYS

One of the delights of eating seasonally is the anticipation of summer fruits. Islanders wait for berry season all year, looking forward to standing outside under blue skies, eating berries warmed by the returning sun. We snatch them off the plants before the squirrels do, line up early at the market and farmstand to get our flats and wait patiently for our neighbors to confess that they have too many and could we possibly help them out by taking some? (We can.)

BY ANNE WILLHOIT PHOTOS BY ANNE WILLHOIT

Some seasonal dishes live in our memories at the nostalgic junction of our souls and stomachs. Strawberry shortcake is one of these, a dessert that happily highlights berries just as they are—fresh, sliced, ready to stop the show. Below are two shortcakes recipes for when you find yourself rich in berries. The first, for shortcake purists, makes a barely sweet biscuit with a delicate crumb, ready to catch all the berry juices. The second, a chocolate variation, is a nice surprise that pairs the berries with another companionable flavor.

Pro tip: Making and freezing shortcakes ahead of time is a great trick. When cool, simply pop them in a freezer bag and you'll always be ready for a spontaneous beach picnic, porch sitting with friends, or a little personal dessert moment.

Traditional Strawberry Shortcake

Makes 8 generous servings

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. kosher salt (or a scant 1/2 tsp. table salt)

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. lemon or orange zest (optional)

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold 1-1/3 cups cream

To top: one or two pints of summer strawberries, whipped cream

1. Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

2. Stir in the zest, if using.

3. Slice the butter into rough pieces and sprinkle into the dry ingredients. Stir briefly with a fork, then get ready to get your hands in there.

4. Cut in the butter by squishing the sprinkled butter pieces with your fingers and mixing it a bit as you go. Continue to crumble and mix with your hands until you have an uneven, clumpy looking mixture. (Alternatively, briefly pulse the dry ingredients and the butter in a food processor.)

5. Drizzle in the cream and gently fold with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, just until it looks mixed and not a moment longer. (Overmixing will damage the delicate crumb and springiness.)

6. Sprinkle a bit of flour on your workspace and turn the dough out onto it. Pat into a rectangle, about 1-inch thick.

Chocolate Shortcake

Use the same ingredients listed above, omitting the zest. Reduce the cream to 1 cup.

Add: 1 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips, divided.

1. Heat 1 cup cream in a small pot over low heat just until you see bubbles on the edges. Turn off the heat and add 1/2 cup chocolate chips, jiggling the pan just a bit to make sure all the chips are down in the cream. Immediately cover with a lid and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Using a whisk, mix well until satiny and smooth. Set aside to cool.

2. Mix the dry ingredients as in the traditional shortcake, then cut in the butter.

3. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips.

4. When the chocolate cream has cooled, pour, and fold it gently into the dry ingredients.

5. Finish the recipe in the same way as traditional shortcake.

To prepare the berries: Wash, stem and slice half of the beautiful berries. Add to a bowl or jar with 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar per pint of berries. Refrigerate for a few hours until some juices collect. Right before serving, slice the remaining berries and add these to the macerated berries.

Add whip? Of course!

To make a basic whipped cream for 8 shortcakes, whip 2 cups cream with 1/2 cup sugar. Flavor with a little vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons amaretto or another favorite flavor. Scale up or down as needed or swap in vanilla ice cream for true summertime decadence.