Golden Shortbread Strawberry Parfait

Whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and fine sea salt in a medium mixing bowl until evenly distributed.

Place the cold butter cubes and sifted powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes until pale, fluffy, and slightly increased in volume.

Add the room temperature egg yolk and vanilla extract to the creamed butter. Beat on low just until smooth and the yolk disappears into the mixture.

Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the butter mixture in two additions, folding gently with a rubber spatula after each addition until the dough just comes together and no streaks of flour remain.

Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, press into a 12cm disc, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm enough to roll.

About 10 minutes into the dough chill, preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) with a rack in the center position.

Place the chilled dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll to a uniform 6mm thickness using even strokes.

Cut the rolled dough into 5cm rounds with a floured cutter, gathering and re-rolling scraps once. Transfer rounds to a parchment-lined baking sheet spaced 2cm apart.

Dock each round gently with the tines of a fork in a cross-hatch pattern to prevent puffing during baking.

Bake on the center rack for 14 to 16 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the edges turn a clear golden color and the tops are pale gold.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a large bowl, toss the quartered strawberries with the granulated sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla until every berry glistens.

Let the strawberry mixture rest at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once gently halfway through, until the berries release a glossy syrup.

In a chilled bowl, beat the cold heavy cream with sifted powdered sugar and vanilla on medium speed until medium peaks form that hold their shape with a softly curling tip.

Place 18 of the cooled shortbread cookies in a zip-top bag and crush into coarse crumbs with a rolling pin; reserve the remaining 6 whole cookies for topping.

In each glass, layer one-third of the cookie crumbs, then half the strawberry mixture with syrup, then a generous layer of whipped cream. Repeat the layers once more, ending with cream piped into a decorative swirl if using a piping bag.

Crown each parfait with one reserved whole shortbread cookie and a fresh whole strawberry. Serve immediately while the cookie edges are still crisp.