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STRAWBERRIES

You can't beat straight strawberries and cream, but if you feel like a change try these:

Strawberry Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS

  • 200ml (7fl oz) whipping cream
  • 500g (1 lb 2 oz) strawberries, pureed
  • 1 tblspoon balsamic vinegar
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 4.5 oz caster sugar
METHOD
  1. Rinse the berries and remove the stalks.
  2. Blend the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice until smooth.
  3. Add the balsamic vinegar gradually while blending.
  4. Whip the cream until stiff.
  5. Stir the puree into the whipped cream and then pour into a shallow container and cover.
  6. Freeze until ice cream starts to appear around the edges. Beat again and then return to the freezer.
  7. Continue to freeze, but whisk every 2 hours until think and slushy.
  8. Soften in the fridge for 1 - 1.5 hours before serving.

Strawberry Jelly (new)

INGREDIENTS

  • 1Kg strawberries, hulled - reserve a few for decoration and slice and puree the rest
  • 6 gelatine leaves (i.e. to set about 900ml of liquid), cut into broad strips
  • 150g golden caster sugar
  • juice of 1½ lemons
  • clotted cream to serve
METHOD
  1. Cover gelatine with cold water and soak for 5 minutes, then drain. (For powdered gelatine, check the packet for the amount)
  2. Blend the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice until smooth.
  3. Pass through a sieve into a small pan, bring to the boil and transfer to a measuring jug. Make up to 900ml with water.
  4. Pour a little of the mixture over the soaked gelatine and stir to dissolve.
  5. Then stir in the remaining mixture.
  6. Divide the jelly mixture into 6 x 150ml pots or one large mould and leave to cool.
  7. Serve decorated with a strawberry and a spoonful of clotted cream.

Strawberry Liqueur Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 pint Double Cream
  • 8 oz strawberries, pureed
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 1 tablespoon rum or maraschino juice
  • 2 oz caster sugar
METHOD
  1. Whip the cream and mix in the other ingredients. Pour into a freeing tray and put into the freezer.
  2. When the mixture is frozen at the edges, turn into a bowl and whisk until smooth.
  3. Return to the trays and freeze until firm
  4. Serve in idividual glasses, topped with a strawberry.

Strawberry Tart
serves 8

INGREDIENTS
For the almond pastry:

  • 150g (5 oz) plain flour
  • 95g (3.5 oz) cold butter
  • 50g (2oz) ground almonds
  • 50g (2oz) caster sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
For the filling:
  • 30 - 40 medium strawberries
  • 200ml (7 fl oz) double cream
  • 200ml (7 fl oz) thick yoghurt or fromage frais
  • 2 tsp icing sugar
  • drop of vanilla extract
METHOD
  1. First make the almond pastry, by rubbing the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the ground almonds and sugar and add the egg yolk. Squeze gently together to form a soft ball of dough.
  2. Roll out the the dough and line a 24cm (9.5in) tart tin, patching where necessary (the pastry is very short).
  3. Prick the pastry case all over with a fork and put into the fridge for half an hour. Bake for 15 minutes at 180C, 350F or gas mark 4 until pale biscuit coloured.
  4. Cool the pastry in the tin and then turn out carefully onto a cooling rack.
  5. To make the filling, whip the cream until it just starts to thicken. Stir in the yoghurt or fromage frais, icing sugar and vanilla esence.
  6. To assemble the tart, place the cooled pastry onto a serving dish, spoon the cream mix in and top with strawberries.
  7. Dust lightly with icing sugar before serving.

Strawberry Sensation
Serves 6-8

A really refreshing fruit drink, which you can make more sophisticated by adding soda water, tonic water, or sparkling wine.

INGREDIENTS

  • 450g strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
  • 1 whole lemon, finely chopped (remove any obvious pips)
  • 500ml water
  • 5-6 tbsp sugar
  • Freshly ground black pepper or Angostura bitters, to taste (optional)
METHOD

Whizz the fruits with the water until just blended - do not over-process or the lemon will make the drink sour. Press the mixture lightly through a sieve into a large jug, then add sugar and seasonings to taste. Chill for at least 30 minutes. Add a further 500ml of water or your chosen fizz and decorate with sliced strawberries just before serving over crushed ice.

Strawberry Soup
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

  • 1.4Kg strawberries, hulled
  • 4tbsp Cointreau or Grand Marnier
  • a squeeze of lemon juice
  • 75g icing sugar (or to taste)
  • 6 tblsp crème fraiche
  • edible flower petals to serve
METHOD
  1. Cut 250g of the strawberries into quarters and chill.
  2. Puree the rest of the strawberries with the liqueur, lemon juice and enough icing sugar to sweeten.
  3. Pass the puree through a sieve and add more sieved sugar if necessary.
  4. Cove and chill for at least two hours.
  5. Divide the puree among 6 dishes and place a pile of strawberries in the centre of each dish with a dollop of creme fraiche on top and then sprinkle with edible flower petals if available.

Summer Berries in Warm Sabayon Glaze

Summer Berry Pudding (new)

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 slices of white sliced bread, crusts removed
  • 85g (3oz) golden caster sugar
  • 2 tsp cornflour
  • 200g tub of fromage frais
  • 300g (10 oz) mixed summer berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, red currants)
METHOD
  1. Heat the grill high.
  2. Lay the slices of bread, slightly overlapping in a shallow, flameproof dish.
  3. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons on the sugar evenly over the bread and grill for about 2 minutes or until the bread is toasted and the sugar is starting to caramelise.
  4. Mix the cornflour into the fromage frais.
  5. Pile the berries down the middle of the bread and sprinkle with one more tablespon of sugar.
  6. Drop the fromage frais mixture on top and then sprinkle the rest of the sugar over evenly.
  7. Put the dish as close to the heat as possible and grill for 6-8 minutes until the fromage frais is browned and everything else is bubbling and juicy.
  8. Leave to sit for a minute or two, then serve hot.

Summer Soup

INGREDIENTS

  • 400g (14oz) strawberries
  • 2½ red peppers, seeded and chopped
  • ½ stick celery, chopped
  • 15 basil leaves
  • 10 mint leaves
  • juice of 1 lime
  • Tabasco
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Garnish of a few strawberries, ½ an apple (peeled), ½red pepper (diced), 1 tbsp basil (roughly torn) and 1 tbsp mint(chopped)
METHOD
  1. Blend the strawberries in a food processor and then add the remaining ingredients and puree.
  2. Season to taste with Tabasco, salt and pepper.
  3. Pour into a bowl and add water to get the desired consistency.
  4. Chill for at least an hour.
  5. Serve very cold in chilled plates, sprinkled with the garnish ingredients.

Summer Surprise

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb strawberries
  • 7fl oz whipping cream
  • 8oz natural yoghurt
  • demerarah or soft brown sugar
METHOD
  1. Divide the fruit between 6 - 8 dishes.
  2. Whip the cream until thick but not too stiff and fold in the yoghurt.
  3. Sprinkle enough sugar over each dish to make a layer about 1/4in deep.
  4. Refrigerate for 48 hours before serving.
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