ANDREW PERN of the Star Inn The City conjures up a new take on strawberries and cream.
SUMMER is flying by at the speed of a Tour de France cyclist. We all now need to find time to catch our breath and enjoy the flavours of the summer.
English strawberries take some beating. Even if you don’t have the time to make all three elements of this dish, each one will stand on its own. Enjoy a taste of sunshine!
Fresh strawberry stack with lavender shortbread
(Makes four mini stacks – double the quantities for full size stacks)
For the stacks
Approx 20 sliced English strawberries and a few wild strawberries for garnish
125ml whipping cream
20g icing sugar
½ vanilla pod
Lavender shortbread
110g flour
75g cornflour
110g butter
55g caster sugar
30ml lavender flowers
Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Slowly add the flours and the lavender; you can do this in a mixer or by hand. When the dough is coming together, roll it into a ball and chill for 20 minutes. Roll the pastry out and cut into 12 or more rounds with a 5cm cutter. Bake until only slightly colouring at 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for about 12 minutes.
Assembling the stack
Whip the whipping cream with the icing sugar and scrape out ½ vanilla pod, beat until stiff. Take four shortbread rounds and pipe a rosette of cream in the middle of each, then arrange the strawberries/strawberry slices around the cream.
Place another piece of shortbread on top of that and do the same as the last layer and place a third round on the top. Dust with icing sugar.
Strawberry jelly and custard
Makes four shot glass portions or one small bowl
Ingredients
1 sheet of leaf gelatine
100ml champagne
5 tsp strawberry purée
4 roughly chopped strawberries
A little caster sugar, to taste
125g pastry cream
50ml double cream, preferably Jersey
10ml Cointreau
50ml Chantilly cream (whipped cream with icing sugar and fresh vanilla)
To garnish:
Tiny sprigs of garden mint
Method
Soak the leaf gelatine in a little cold water. Squeeze ‘dry’ and set aside. Gently warm the champagne, without boiling, add the gelatine, strawberry purée and chopped strawberries. Check sweetness, adding sugar as necessary. Spoon into the shot glasses or bowl and allow to set in the fridge for 1 hour.
Then top with a little pastry cream let down with a little double cream and Cointreau. Pipe a little whipped Chantilly cream on top, garnish with the springs of mint, and rose petals, if you wish.
Strawberry and elderflower ice-cream
(Serves eight)
200ml full fat milk
250ml double cream
½ vanilla pod, split and scraped out
6 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
250g chopped strawberries
1tsp elderflower cordial
Add the vanilla pod to the milk, heat the milk then leave for an hour or so to allow the flavour to infuse. Beat together the egg yolks and the sugar until pale.
Remove the vanilla pod from the milk, reheat the milk and pour on top of the egg and sugar mixture stirring constantly, return to the heat and cook until the mixture thickens a little and coats the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cool, lightly beat the double cream and add to the custard.
Sieve the strawberries and mix in. Keep a little of the purée for decorating the plate, then churn in an ice-cream machine. When nearly set, add a little elderflower cordial to taste.
To serve:
Place a strawberry stack on to the plate with a shot glass of strawberry jelly and custard and a scoop of strawberry and elderflower ice-cream alongside (you can use crushed shortbread to hold the ice-cream in place). Garnish the plate with strawberries, strawberry purée and edible flowers.
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