Strawberry Shortbread Tiers

Ingredients

4 lbs. California Strawberries, stemmed and sliced
24 mint sprigs

For Lemon Curd:

1 lb. butter
1-1/2 oz. grated lemon zest
16 large eggs
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lb., 4 oz. granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups heavy cream, whipped

For Shortbread:

2 lbs. unsalted butter, cut into chunks
14 oz. granulated sugar
1 lb., 10 oz. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
10 large egg yolks
2 tsp. baking powder

For Strawberry Sauce:

1 lb., 8 oz. California Strawberries, stemmed
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions

For Lemon Curd: In saucepan, heat butter, lemon juice and lemon zest until butter is melted. Remove from heat; cool slightly. In bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs until blended. Gradually whisk in butter mixture. Return to saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes or until mixture just comes to a boil. Do not overcook. Strain. Cover; chill 2 hours or until cold. Fold whipped cream into custard mixture. Cover; chill. (Shortcut: prepared lemon curd or instant pudding can be substituted.)

For Shortbread: Heat oven to 300 degrees F. In food processor, process butter and sugar 3 to 4 minutes or until creamy. Add egg yolks, process 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until light and creamy. Transfer to bowl. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt, mix well. Gently fold flour mixture into butter mixture. Do not over mix. Form into 2 (6 x 3-inch) rolls. Wrap tightly; chill 4 hours or until firm. Butter and flour interior of 48 (3 x 2-inch) metal cake rings; place on sheet pans. Cut each roll of cookie dough into 24 slices. Press 1 slice into each ring. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 200 degrees F; bake an additional 25 minutes or until dry. Unmold carefully. Cool on wire rack. (Shortcut: packaged shortbread cookies can be substituted.)

For Strawberry Sauce: In blender container, puree strawberries untils mooth. Sweeten to taste with sugar. Cover and chill. (Shortcut: frozen sliced, sweetened strawberries can be substituted.)

Assembly

For each serving, to order: Drizzle 2 tablespoons Strawberry Sauce onto serving plate. Place one Shortbread on plate. Top with 3 tablespoons of Lemon Curd, 1/4 cup sliced California Strawberries and 3 more tablespoons Lemon Curd. Top with an additional shortbread and 1/4 cup sliced California Strawberries. Garnish with mint.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: 870 calories; 61 g fat; 387 mg cholesterol; 452 mg sodium; 75 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 10 g protein. Yield: 24 servings.