Tomorrow is Canada Day and what better way to celebrate than with food? This year Canada turns the big 1-4-3 and if you’re heading to a birthday celebration for this beautifully scenic country don’t forget this Strawberry Shortcake from Rose Murray’s A Taste of Canada:

The beloved Canadian author, Edna Staebler, made Mennonite country cooking famous in Food that Really Schmecks (1968 and commemorative edition, 2007). From that book comes this “old-fashioned biscuit-dough shortcake recipe” that remains a favourite because it is so quick and easy. You can update it with fancy creams or add interesting flavours to the fruit, but the shortcake itself is delicious. When Edna was well enough to travel, we would visit friends on a farm near Owen Sound each year during peach season. Edna would make her shortcake and take along a lovely basket of Niagara peaches from the farmers’ market. For years I have made it for my Canada birthday parties to which Edna would always come wearing her red and white Capri pants! So, partly in her unique prose, here is the shortcake that I will continue to make (although I do like to split it and add whipped cream with the fruit).

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar (approx)
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup shortening
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk or sour milk*           

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With 2 knives or a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the mixture is crumbly. Add the buttermilk and mix just enough to make sure the dry part is moistened. Spread the dough out in a greased 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) pan—“quite a large flat one—or you can use half the recipe and put the batter into a 9- x 9-inch (2.5 L) square one.” Sprinkle with additional sugar and bake in the centre of a 400°F (200°C) oven until a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 20 minutes. “Serve warm and smothered with sugared berries or sliced peaches. You don’t need to split it and butter it or slather it with whipped cream.” Makes 12 servings.

*In Mennonite country cooking, nothing was wasted, and if the milk was past its prime, it was used in the recipe. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can sour milk by placing a tablespoon (15 mL) lemon juice or white vinegar in a glass measure; fill it with milk to the 1 cup (250 mL) mark and let it stand for 15 minutes.