Strawberry Cornbread Shortcake

George Hirsch July 2, 2025

This Southern strawberry shortcake is baked in a black iron skillet, giving it a crunchy crust—the perfect foil for berries and sweetened whipped cream. Using cake flour will give the shortcake a lighter, more tender texture. If you have any strawberries left over, you may want to try my Rosé Sangria from George Hirsch Lifestyle.

Strawberry Cornbread Shortcake

Makes 6 - 8 servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

For the Cornbread:

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup cake flour or all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 eggs. lightly beaten

1/4 cup sweet butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

2 pints mixed fresh strawberries and optional blueberries

1/2 pint fresh blueberries

Granulated sugar, if necessary

Strawberry Shortcake

Preheat oven or grill to medium temperature or 375 degrees F.

Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix the milk, eggs, butter, vanilla, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until no particles of the dry ingredients remain. Do not over-mix.

Spoon the mixture into a well-greased, 8-inch, black iron skillet or cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the cornbread for 5 minutes in the pan; remove and cool completely on a rack.

Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Wash the strawberries and pat them dry gently with a paper towel. Cut half of the strawberries into slices and leave the rest whole. If the berries are not sweet, toss with a small amount of granulated sugar.

Slice the cornbread in half horizontally. Spread the lower half with half the whipped cream and sliced strawberries and blueberries. Replace the top half and cover with the remaining whipped cream and berries.

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13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one

$19.95

AS SEEN ON PUBLIC TELEVISION & CREATE TV- SEASON ONE
FEATURING CHEF GEORGE HIRSCH DEMONSTRATING HIS SAVORY COOKING, BAKING AND GRILLING RECIPES; WITH HIS EXPERT CULINARY TIPS & TECHNIQUES, ALONG WITH VISITS TO HIS INSPIRING HAMPTON LOCATIONS.

Gather 'Round the Grill Cookbook, Vintage (new)

$50.00

LIMITED OFFER, LIMITED EDITION, signed by Chef George.

From the original Grilling TV Series host, 200 Fabulous Recipe—Celebrating the joyous rituals of sharing food at year-round festivities, the star of PBS's Grilling with Chef George Hirsch provides a wealth of recipes and ideas for great party foods, plus advance preparation tips to ease the strain of last minute chores.

Hardcover: 310 pages
Publisher: Hearst Books-HarperCollins; 1St edition (June 12, 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0688142257
ISBN-13: 978-0688142254
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 8.1 x 1.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

George Hirsch Living it UP! cooking & lifestyle book

$24.95

This easy to live with lifestyle plan; with more than 165 of George's easy-to-prepare gourmet recipes, you can lose weight, maintain energy, look better, and enjoy a longer active life, by eating great food!
M.Evans and Company, Inc.

George Starts your year off right!

George Hirsch Living it UP
Recipes for a Healthy Active Life
Product Details
Hardcover: 240 pages; $24.95
Publisher: M. Evans and Company, Inc.; 2000
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0871319241
ISBN-13: 978-0871319241
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches

Creative Cooking tips
Fast Easy recipes that allow for an active lifestyle
A 30-Day Menu Plan you can adapt throughout the year
Support and motivation for staying on a healthy eating & exercise routine
Tips for easy food shopping & eating healthy on the run

Each book is personally autographed by George Hirsch.

Seafood Chowder, as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle

George Hirsch June 16, 2025

My inspiration for this chowder is living so close to the water with an abundance of fresh seafood to choose from. The nice part of this recipe is its versatility. The first part of the chowder is a rich tomato broth base, and the second part is adaptable, allowing you to swap out any of the seafood based on seasonal availability and your own personal preference.

Is it soup or stew? Early versions of chowder originated from the New England area: a frugal recipe consisting of pork fat, onions, potatoes, fish, herbs, and dry biscuits or flour for thickening. The ingredients were layered in a pot and cooked in water, with a bit of milk added at the end. In the 1800s, Manhattan clam chowder was notable for containing tomatoes. Manhattan clam chowder has been described as "that rather horrendous soup resembling a vegetable soup that accidentally had some clams dumped into it." All respect, Mr. Beard, but those are fighting words. As a New Yorker and from coastal Long Island, an East Ender, we take our chowder VERY seriously.

Tomato-based clam chowders emerged with the newfound popularity of the tomato in the mid-1800s, particularly in the New York and Rhode Island regions, where large populations of Italians and Portuguese were established. In 1939, Maine legislators introduced a bill outlawing tomatoes in chowder because it is far more of a vegetable soup. What?

Manhattan Style Seafood Chowder, "Hee-ah er wicked good CHOWDAH"!

Makes 6-8 servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle TV series

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped

1/4 cup fennel, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup carrots, chopped

2 cups Yukon potatoes, scrubbed and diced into 1/2 pieces

2 cups fresh plum tomatoes, deseeded and chopped or 1 (28 ounce can of chopped San Marzano tomatoes)

2 cups vegetable or fish broth

1 teaspoon dried basil

For the seafood:

1 dozen fresh littleneck clams

1/2 pound fresh cod, cut into one-inch pieces

1/4 pound calamari, cleaned and cut into thin rings

1 pound mussels, cleaned

a few leaves of fresh flat-leaf parsley, basil, and oregano

fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat a large soup pot to medium temperature. Add olive oil, onions, fennel, carrots, and garlic, and cook until tender. Add tomatoes, broth, potatoes, and dried basil. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer for 10 minutes. Add clams and cod fish and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Add fresh basil, parsley, and mussels, and cook for 3-5 minutes or until mussels open.

Add fresh ground black pepper to taste & serve immediately.

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13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one

$19.95

Gather 'Round the Grill Cookbook, Vintage (new)

$50.00

LIMITED OFFER, LIMITED EDITION, signed by Chef George.

Hardcover: 310 pages
Publisher: Hearst Books-HarperCollins; 1St edition (June 12, 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0688142257
ISBN-13: 978-0688142254
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 8.1 x 1.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

George Hirsch Living it UP! cooking & lifestyle book

$24.95

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

George Hirsch May 4, 2025

Would you like a bite of old-fashioned-style cake equally suitable for a morning coffee break, mid-day snack, and even dessert. If so, then this is it.

What I like about this coffee cake recipe is that it isn't overly sweet. I created this recipe using all-purpose flour, not cake flour, which makes a denser crumb with a nice texture. The dairy mix of sour cream, yogurt, and milk is a harmonious trifecta that achieves a light and flavorful addition to every slice. Use fresh eggs and butter, and you'll have a hit.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

Makes about 18 muffins

For the Crumb Topping:

1/2 cup light brown sugar

6 Tablespoons sweet butter, softened

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Place the butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and vanilla in a bowl and crumble together with your fingers until it forms a crumb mixture. Add in the nuts—reserve and mix the muffin batter.

For the Cake:

1/2 cup sweet butter, one stick softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt

1/4 cup 2% milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon fresh grated orange rind

Lightly grease 18 muffin cups or use paper liners.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (175 degrees C). Note: If using a dark-colored muffin pan, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Dark-colored pans absorb more heat while baking in the oven, become hotter, and carry heat faster than light-colored pans.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Mix in eggs, vanilla, and orange zest, one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl again.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, yogurt, and milk. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately in three stages with the sour cream, yogurt, and milk mixture, stirring and scraping the bowl with a spatula after each addition. Mix until just blended. Do not over-mix.

Add half the batter into prepared muffin cups and sprinkle with half the topping mixture. With the back of the butter knife, swirl the batter slightly to mix the crumb mixture into the bottom of the muffin cups. 3/4 filled. Add the remaining batter, then the crumb topping, and bake.

Bake the muffins in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until they test done. Cool for 15-20 minutes, and then remove them from the pan.

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13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one

$19.95

Gather 'Round the Grill Cookbook, Vintage (new)

$50.00

LIMITED OFFER, LIMITED EDITION, signed by Chef George.

Hardcover: 310 pages
Publisher: Hearst Books-HarperCollins; 1St edition (June 12, 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0688142257
ISBN-13: 978-0688142254
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 8.1 x 1.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

George Hirsch Living it UP! cooking & lifestyle book

$24.95

Rock Shrimp

georgehirsch April 10, 2025

Rock shrimp, which tastes like lobster, is a member of the shrimp family, a deepwater cousin of the pink, brown, and white Gulf shrimp species. The crustacean gets its name from its rock-hard shell; almost all the harvest is sold peeled. And it can easily be mistaken for a miniature lobster tail with the same sweetness. The shrimp are generally small; the largest size is about 21 to 25 shrimp per pound. Rock shrimp are found in waters from Virginia to the Gulf of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and the coasts of California to the Caribbean. It is frozen year-round and fresh from July through November, peaking in September.

Crispy Rock Shrimp Salad w/Microgreens, Mini Heirloom Tomatoes, Pesto, and Garlic Aioli

Makes four appetizers

chefgeorghirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

1 cup mixed vine ripen mini heirloom tomatoes

1 cup of microgreens or mini beet tops

2 cups Rock Shrimp or mini Shrimp

For the marinade:

In a medium-size bowl or dish, add 1 cup of buttermilk or make your own: 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice with regular milk.

A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, powdered garlic, red pepper flakes, dried basil, thyme, and fresh ground black pepper

Place shrimp in the marinade for 15 - 20 minutes.

Drain the shrimp well, but do not dry them. Add them to the corn flour mixture (1 cup of all-purpose flour mixed with 1 cup of extra-fine cornmeal).

Bread each piece of shrimp, coating well in the cornflour mixture.

Preheat a high-sided pan with olive oil to pan-fry. Add shrimp and turn each one when brown. Shrimp is cooked as soon as it browns. Shrimp will cook quickly.

Remove the shrimp with a wire strainer to drain. Do not place it on paper towels or in a crowd, as the shrimp will become soggy. Plate the shrimp with assorted cut tomatoes and microgreens. Finish the salad with a small amount of pesto and garlic aioli for dipping. Top the greens and tomatoes with olive oil.

Sold out

13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one

$19.95

Gather 'Round the Grill Cookbook, Vintage (new)

$50.00

LIMITED OFFER, LIMITED EDITION, signed by Chef George.

Hardcover: 310 pages
Publisher: Hearst Books-HarperCollins; 1St edition (June 12, 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0688142257
ISBN-13: 978-0688142254
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 8.1 x 1.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

George Hirsch Living it UP! cooking & lifestyle book

$24.95

Vision of Spring

George Hirsch March 18, 2025

With spring now upon us it's the perfect time to plan the early spring herb garden.

PLANNING YOUR OUTDOOR HERB GARDEN

Nothing compares to the flavor of fresh herbs in cooking. Now is the time to plan your fresh herb garden for an abundance of flavorful herbs at your fingertips. But before you start digging, there's a little bit of planning to take into consideration.

First, consider the amount of time you have to spend and tend to your garden. If you're a weekend gardener, then a little patch of kitchen herbs is a great start. You can always increase the size of your garden next year. But if you're an avid gardener, go crazy! Add more exotic herbs and fragrant ones such as lemon verbena, lemon grass, pineapple sage, and Thai basil.

Find a good location for your garden. Most herbs need five or six hours of sunlight and soil slightly on the dryer side. Plant close enough to your back door for when you're running from the kitchen to the garden.

Lay out your garden on paper. Think about style. Do you like a formal orderly appearance to your garden or a more natural style? Keep in mind when planning to include walking paths so you can reach to weed and harvest your herbs and keep your feet dry when the ground is wet.

What to plant? If you intend to cook with herbs, list the ones you use most often. If you like fragrant or colorful herbs, ask your local garden shop what grows well in your area. And herbs like a fairly neutral or slightly alkaline soil. If you know your soil is acid, add some lime when preparing your soil.

When planting, try to keep the annuals and perennials separate so that when the end of the season comes, you won't disturb the roots of the perennials when you pull out annuals. Keep taller plants to the back of the border or in the center of your bed and smaller ones near the edges to form borders.

Enjoy my Green Goddess, aka—Sauce Au Vert Recipe with fresh spring chive and parsley.