Our Food & Drink Editor, Paloma Lacy, shares the taste of summer with four recipes using this season’s strawberries and cream…
Pivotal to the summer season is strawberries and cream and this year’s fruit crop is sweeter than ever. Rules against mass gatherings and social distancing remain in place but that doesn’t mean you can’t host a picnic for your immediate household, inviting a select few additional guests. Escape to one of many green spaces or simply set up in the back garden. Here are some seasonal recipes that are simply too good to miss.
Easy Strawberry Ice Cream
Preparation time: 30 minutes (plus freezing. Serves: makes 1 litre.
Make it a family affair and get children involved in whipping up this ultimate summertime treat.
Ingredients
- 1 x 400g punnets strawberries
- 1 x 250g tub mascarpone
- ½ x 397g can condensed milk
- Cones and sprinkles to serve
Method
- Hull the strawberries. If they are still quite hard, cut them in half or quarters. Place them into a flat-bottomed dish.
- Use a potato masher to squash the strawberries as much as you can. Tip into a bowl.
- Add the mascarpone and mash this in – don’t worry if it is a bit lumpy. Add the condensed milk and mix everything together. Don’t worry if the mix looks streaky.
- Spoon the mixture into a metal or plastic box and put it in the freezer. Wait until the next day or at least 6 hours before scooping into bowls or cones. Decorate as you wish.
Drunken Berries with Cream
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes. Serves: 8.
A fun dessert for adults.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp crème de cassis or any fruit-based liqueur
- 650g strawberries
- 2 x 125g punnets raspberries
- 2 x 125g punnets blueberries
- 2 x tbsp. golden caster sugar
- 578ml carton single cream to serve
Method
- Measure the cassis into the base of a large serving bowl and stir in the strawberries. Pile the raspberries and blueberries on top and scatter over the sugar, but don’t mix yet.
- Cover the bowl with cling film. Just before serving, gently toss the berries and serve with a big jug of cream.
Strawberry Layer Cake
Preparation time: 25 minutes. Serves: 14.
Layer biscuits with strawberries and cream and they’ll soften to create an indulgent no-bake sweet treat. Really easy and delicious – a winner of a summer dish.
Ingredients
- 600ml double cream
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 125g icing sugar, plus 2 tbsp for decoration
- 500g shortcake biscuits, plus 3 crushed for decoration
- 350g strawberries
Method
- Line a 20cm cake tin or dish (either a square or rectangle works well) with cling film, leaving an overhang. Whip 500ml of the cream, the vanilla, orange blossom water and 125g icing sugar with an electric whisk until thick and billowy.
- Add a layer of biscuits to the tin, and spoon over some of the cream, about 1cm thick all over. Add a layer of strawberry slices, then repeat with the cream, biscuits and strawberries until you fill the tin, finishing on a layer of biscuit. You’ll have some strawberries left over to serve. Press everything down well so every biscuit is covered in cream. Cover and chill overnight.
- To serve, flip the tin onto a serving plate, and remove the cling film. Whip the remaining 100ml cream with 1 tbsp icing sugar and dollop on top of the cake, swirling it around. Top with the remaining strawberry slices in lines, sift over the remaining 1 tbsp icing sugar, and sprinkle the biscuit crumbs in between the rows of strawberries. Cut into slices to serve.
Eton Mess Cake
Preparation time: 25 minutes. Cooking time: 40-45 minutes. Serves: makes 15 pieces.
Bring the flavours of an English summer to your table with this clever twist on a traditional favourite
Ingredients
- 175g unsalted butter
- 5 tbsp double cream, from a 300ml pot 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 225g plain flour
- 100g ground almonds 1 tsp baking powder
- 200g golden caster sugar 5 large eggs 400g strawberries – ½ roughly chopped and ½ finely sliced
- 4 meringue nests (50g/2oz), very roughly broken up
- A little icing sugar, to serve
Method
- Grease a deep, 20 x 30cm traybake or roasting tin, then line with parchment. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
- Melt the butter, take off the heat and stir in the cream and the vanilla.
- Mix the flour, almonds, baking powder and ¼ tsp fine salt and set aside for later.
- Put the caster sugar and eggs into a large bowl, and whisk with electric beaters until very thick and foamy, about 5 mins.
- Pour in the butter mix, whisk briefly, then add the flour mix and whisk briefly again until even.
- Stir in the chopped strawberries, then pour the batter into the tin and level the top.
- Scatter the sliced strawberries and meringue over the cake, then bake for 40-45 mins until risen, golden and a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool for 20 mins in the tin, then transfer the cake to a rack. Just before serving, dust with a little icing sugar. Enjoy with the rest of the double cream, whipped if you like.
Written By: Paloma Lacy
A few words about the newest member of the Lady Wimbledon editorial team, Paloma Lacy:
Food lover, turned food writer, Paloma has spent the past 10 years in search of the Capital’s finest eateries, reviewing restaurants for a range of publications, including South London Press and London Weekly News. A South London girl at heart, she believes its boroughs boast some memorable dining experiences set to satisfy even the most discerning palate. London is alive with brunch, lunch and dinner choices to suit every pocket, from the humble neighbourhood spot, right through to the starrier end of the market.
Instagram: @Paloma.Lacy
Twitter: @PalomaMeansDove
