Her deconstructed twist on a summer classic is a great recipe to have on hand.
Key Points
- Ina Garten’s deconstructed strawberry shortcakes are a simple, elegant Father’s Day dessert idea.
- The recipe highlights peak-season strawberries, less-sweet biscuits and customizable whipped cream.
- Garten suggests marinating strawberries for flavor and offers tips to simplify with store-bought ingredients.
Ina Garten knows a thing or two about how to prepare a simple, elegant holiday dish. Whether she’s making a savory brisket for Passover or whipping up an easy-but-flavorful tea party menu for Mother’s Day, the Barefoot Contessa always knows just what to make to delight her loved ones.
Now, Garten is sharing a simple dessert she thinks is a great fit for Father’s Day. In her Substack newsletter, Garten responded to an Ask Ina question with a delicious-sounding suggestion. “I want to make a special dessert for Father’s Day,” a fan wrote in, “but my husband doesn’t love cupcakes or chocolate cake. Do you have another dessert idea that’s not overly sweet?”
Garten’s suggestion is a perfect use of summertime fruit. “I know how he feels about too-sweet desserts,” she wrote in response. “You take one bite and that’s more than enough. Luckily, Father’s Day lands during peak strawberry season, when the berries are naturally at their most flavorful.”
The Father’s Day dessert Garten says is perfect for the dad who prefers less-sweet desserts? Her Strawberry Shortcakes, Deconstructed. In addition to two pints of fresh strawberries, the recipe calls for simple ingredients like sugar, flour, butter and eggs. It involves baking miniature shortcakes and serving the deconstructed dessert in a martini glass layered with sugar and Grand Marnier-sweetened strawberries and homemade whipped cream, along with some of the shortcake “biscuits” on the side.
“The biscuit is not quite as sweet as a traditional shortcake,” Garten writes in the newsletter, “and your husband can decide how much cream he wants in his serving. I like to serve the marinated strawberries in martini glasses because it makes the dessert look elegant and special enough for any type of occasion.”
This dessert sounds summery, delicious, and simple, and you could even lessen your workload by using store-bought whipped cream and shortbread cookies (or maybe some shortbread purchased at your local bakery).
The perfect Father’s Day dessert comes with a few extra tips from Garten, too, like marinating the strawberries for about 30 minutes for extra flavor and omitting the Grand Marnier if dad is a non-drinker or you’d just prefer to skip this expensive ingredient.
Need a few more Father’s Day menu ideas to share with friends and family? We have you covered with a few favorites:
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