Star Spangled Shortcake

Directions

1. 1
   Combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter. Use a pastry cutter or two knives to incorporate butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. 2
   Blend 2 cups heavy cream into flour mixture using a fork. Turn out onto a clean work surface; press away from you with the heel of your hand, just to combine dough. Add 1 Tbsp cream if the dough is too dry to combine.
3. 3
   Prepare egg wash. place egg and 2 Tbsp. cream in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
4. 4
   Press dough into a 7x10 inch rectangle, 1 inch thick. Use a 3.5 inch star cutter to cut out six biscuits. Press three of the stars to flatten slightly. Form into a ring on a parchment lined baking sheet, alternating flattened with un flattened stars. Use egg wash to join them along their common edges. Gather remaining dough, and cut out four more stars for additional servings, if desired. Preheat oven to 400, and refrigerate dough for 1 hour. Remove dough from fridge, and brush top of star ring and spare stars with egg wash. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. sugar. Bake ring/stars for 5 min. then reduce heat to 350. Continue baking till golden, about 25 min. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
5. 5
   Combine fruit and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl and toss to combine. Allow berries to sit for at least 30 min, until very juicy. Whip remaining 1.5 cups cream to soft peaks.
6. 6
   Use a serrated knife to cut ring in half crosswise. Cut any extra stars, too. Use two large offset spatulas to lift the top half of the ring, and set aside, leaving spatulas in place.
7. 7
   transfer bottom of ring to serving platter. Spoon berries and juice, plus whipped cream, over ring. Top with remaining half of ring, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.