Strawberry shortcake

Thanks to Food Allergy Mama (www.foodallergymama.com) for this recipe! It rocks!!! I varied it a bit, since hers called for soy products. Our whole family loved this recipe! I made big ones for each of us, and I took the remaining dough and made mini ones to freeze for daycare.

Yield: Makes 6 shortcakes

4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

3/4 cup granulated sugar

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1/3 cup cold shortening cut into small cubes

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup rice milk

In a small bowl, combine strawberries and sugar. Macerate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in cold shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk, and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.

Preheat oven to 425ºF, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I was out of parchment paper, so I greased the cookie sheet with shortening and it worked great). Shape dough into a ball, and transfer to a lightly floured board (I didn't want to have to wash another dish, so I floured the bowl that I mixed everything in and it worked well). Knead ball for about 5 minutes, and roll out into a 1/2-inch-thick disk. Cut out each shortcake with a floured 3-inch round cutter (I used a regular old drinking glass and a mini one out of the girls' kitchen to make smaller ones) , and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly, and slice crosswise.

Place one half of each shortcake biscuit on plates. Fill with rice ice cream and 1/4 cup of macerated strawberries. Top with remaining shortcake halves, rice ice cream, and an additional 1/4 cup strawberries each..