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Thursday, June 05, 2003

By Suzanne Martinson, Post-Gazette Food Editor

Stop! Don't put that spongy yellow excuse for a shortcake in your grocery cart. We know, we know. You don't have time for all the muss and fuss of rolling out biscuit dough. We're here to say you don't have to.

	"Rustic" Shortcake is much easier to make than regular shortcake recipes. (Jeannette Blosel, Post-Gazette)

We have something we'd like you to meet: "Rustic" Strawberry Shortcake.

Our shortcake is faster than a speeding berry flung by one teenager at another, more powerful than creating a wedding cake from scratch, able to please picky palates in a single bite.

Sure, we use a mix, but it's what we do with it that counts. We add two ingredients -- count 'em, two -- to the mix, stir, plop the batter by spoonfuls on a cookie sheet, bake, assemble and become the Royalty of Strawberry Shortcake. There's no crown involved, but there will be many satisfied smiles all around.

"RUSTIC" STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

• 2 1/4 cups Bisquick (or other buttermilk baking mix)
  
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 2 quarts strawberries
  
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  
• 1 cup whipping cream, whipped
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine Bisquick, oil and milk, and stir with a large spoon until liquid disappears. Batter will be moist. Drop by large spoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The tips of the shortcake will be slightly brown.

Meanwhile, wash 2 quarts ripe Western Pennsylvania strawberries. Slice and mash half of the berries with 1/2 cup sugar, or to taste. A potato masher or pastry blender works well for this. Add rest of the hulled berries, halved if they are large, whole if they are small, to the sugared berries. Let stand.

Whip cream, adding vanilla and 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, or to taste.

Slice slightly cooled shortcake in half. Spoon on generous amounts of berries on bottom half. Top with other half and pour on berries. Add more berries and top with whipped cream. (If you insist on using Cool Whip, at least use the kind with some dairy in it.)

Makes 9 "Rustic "Shortcakes.