Strawberry Shortcake

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mix the flour and baking powder. Cut in the butter only just enough to create something like coarse meal, such as steel-cut oats - don't overdo it. Beat the egg and stir it and 2/3 cup cream in with a fork. Use your hands quickly and with a light touch to mix, shape, and press the dough into a reasonably uniform ball - again, don't overdo it. Turn out onto a floured board and roll gently with a rolling pin until about 3/4" thick. Use a round biscuit cutter to cut rounds out and set them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Bake at 350F for about 35 minutes, or until the shortcakes appear light golden. Remove from the pan and set on a cooling rack. Hull the strawberries. Reserve the 9 best-looking of the berries. Take the rest and put in a large bowl. Use a potato masher to roughly mash them. Whip the remaining cream in a large bowl until stiff. Slice the shortcakes gently, hamburger-bun style using a sharp, unserrated knife (the shortcakes are very delicate: pick up carefully and use a single stroke of the knife) and set the bottoms on plates, Spoon on a large amount of strawberry mash, then a large dollop of cream, sandwich with the other half of the shortcake, add another dollop of cream on top, and set a reserved strawberry on top of the cream. Serve. Serves 9.