Louisiana Bakes: Springtime heralds Louisiana strawberry season

9. Preheat oven to 400°F.

10. While the shortcakes are chilling, toss the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl and let the mixture stand until ready to serve.

11. When ready to bake, brush the tops of the shortcakes with heavy cream and sprinkle with the coarse sugar.

12. Bake the shortcakes until the tops are golden brown, approximately 18 to 20 minutes.

13. While shortcakes bake, make the whipped cream by beating heavy cream in a mixing bowl until frothy. Add one to two tablespoons of powdered sugar and vanilla to cream and beat until soft peaks form.

14. Split the shortcakes in half. Serve each with a heaping mound of strawberries, a drizzle of the strawberry juice, and fresh whipped cream.

Roasted Strawberry Basil Sherbet

Makes approximately one quart (6 servings)

Recipe by Olivia Regard

1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

¾ cup sugar

5-6 basil leaves

2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Fresh basil or mint for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Stir together strawberries and ¼ cup sugar in a large glass or ceramic baking dish.

3. Roast for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring and rotating the pan once or twice while roasting. The strawberries will bubble and begin to caramelize around the edges.

4. Remove the dish from the oven and add three basil leaves; stir to combine. Let sit for five minutes to cool and allow fresh basil to meld with roasted strawberries.

5. Place roasted strawberries and the juices in a food processor or blender. Add buttermilk and remaining basil to the blender and puree until basil leaves are finely chopped.

6. Strain the strawberry-buttermilk mixture into a bowl using a fine-mesh strainer. With the back of a wooden spoon or spatula, gently press the mixture through the strainer to release all liquid. Discard solids.