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Cook this: Strawberry shortcake from Sheet Pan Everything

'You put the whole sheet pan on the table and whoa,' says Ricardo Larrivée. 'Everyone is happy'

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Our cookbook of the week is Sheet Pan Everything by Ricardo Larrivée. Over the next three days, we’ll feature more recipes from the book and an interview with the author.

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To try another recipe from the book, check out: Warm Greek chicken salad and cauliflower tacos.

During the first wave of COVID-19, Ricardo Larrivée and his team were putting the finishing touches on Sheet Pan Everything. Distanced, working from their respective home kitchens rather than the Ricardo test kitchen, they kept togetherness in mind.

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“Eventually, we’ll be back with the people we love,” says Larrivée. “And we’ll have this epiphany: ‘Oh my god, it’s so good to be with you and to have something in the middle of the table that actually was simple.’”

They created this supersized strawberry shortcake as an embodiment of celebration and simplicity. You can use whatever berry you like and while Larrivée favours orange liqueur, you could use any type of infused spirit you enjoy.

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As an added bonus, he highlights, you don’t have to decorate it to make it special — just scatter over Thai basil leaves. “You put the whole sheet pan on the table and whoa. Everyone is happy.”

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  1. Warm Greek chicken salad from Sheet Pan Everything.
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  2. Cauliflower tacos from Sheet Pan Everything (pictured with shrimp tacos, top left).
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  3. 'Feel-good type of food': Ricardo Larrivée celebrates the humble sheet pan in new book

In terms of the method, there are two key points to remember, says Larrivée: beat the eggs well, until tripled in volume; and use a spatula to spread out the batter in an even layer.

“You will never beat these eggs enough — especially if you’re doing it with a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer, which is more powerful. The preparation has to be super fluffy,” he adds. “This is the secret to this cake: beat the hell out of the eggs and make it even in your sheet pan. There’s nothing else.”

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Sheet Pan Everything by Ricardo Larrivée
In Sheet Pan Everything, Ricardo Larrivee shares more than 75 recipes for meals that can be made entirely on the trusty kitchen tool. Photo by Appetite by Random House

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Preparation: 40 min | Cooking: 18 min | Cooling: 1 hour | Macerating: 15 min

Cake:
1 cup (150 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 eggs
3/4 cup (160 g) sugar

Strawberries:
6 cups (810 g) quartered strawberries
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) orange liqueur (optional)
Thai basil leaves, for serving

Whipped cream:
2 1/2 cups (625 mL) 35% cream
1/2 cup (105 g) sugar

Step 1

Cake: With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottom of a sheet pan with parchment paper, letting it hangover two sides. Butter the paper and sides of the sheet pan.

Step 2

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Step 3

In a large bow1, whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is pale, is tripled in volume and falls from the beaters in a ribbon, about 10 minutes.

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Step 4

Sift the dry ingredients over the egg mixture and fold in with a whisk. Spread the batter out evenly on the sheet pan.

Step 5

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.

Step 6

Strawberries: Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the strawberries with the sugar and orange liqueur, if using. Let macerate for 15 minutes. Drain the strawberries, keeping the syrup.

Step 7

Whipped cream: In a bowl, whisk the cream and sugar with an electric mixer until medium-firm peaks form.

Step 8

Assembly: Drizzle the cake with the strawberry syrup. Cover with the whipped cream and strawberries. Garnish with Thai basil leaves. The cake will keep for 2 days in the refrigerator.

Serves: 16

Recipe and photo excerpted from Sheet Pan Everything by Ricardo Larrivée. Copyright © 2021 Ricardo Media. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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