If there was ever a food synonymous with a sporting events, it’s strawberries at Wimbledon.
British strawberry season – from May to September – is here too, so whether you’re planning to watch the tennis (or just enjoy the fruit), there’s no better time to whip up some desserts showcasing this amazing ingredient.
Speedy strawberry and lemon grilled pudding
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
12 sponge fingers
1 lemon
400g strawberries
1 tin condensed milk (397g)
150g natural yoghurt
1 handful demerara sugar
1 handful almond flakes, toasted
2 sprigs fresh mint
Method:
1. Grab a shallow baking dish and arrange the sponge fingers into a single layer in the bottom. Zest over the lemon and squeeze the juice over the top of the sponge fingers.
2. Hull and quarter the strawberries. Mush some of them up with the back of a fork, then scatter half of them over the sponge fingers.
3. Whisk together the condensed milk with the yoghurt and pour over the dish. Finish with another layer of strawberries and a generous sprinkling of the demerara sugar.
4. Place the dish under the hot grill and leave to warm through and caramelise the top for about 4-5 minutes. Remove and decorate with some toasted almond flakes and a few leaves of picked mint.
5. Serve immediately and tuck in with family or friends.(Recipe by Ben Ebbrell, chef and co-founder of Sorted Food).
Giant strawberries and cream scone cake
Ingredients:
450g self-raising flour
110g unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
50g caster sugar, plus 4 tbsp for the compote
260ml milk, (preferably whole milk), plus extra for brushing
200g strawberries, hulled and chopped (for the compote), plus 200g to finish
½ lemon, juice only
150ml double cream, to finish
150g clotted cream, to finish
1 cup icing sugar, to dust (optional)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking paper. Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl and add a pinch of salt, the butter and caster sugar. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips, until it resembles sand with no large lumps.
2. Slowly add the milk and start mixing it all together using a knife (this avoids overworking the dough, which could create a tough, chewy texture). Once most of the dough has come together, use your hands to bring it gently into a ball. Shape into a round and place on the lined baking tray.
3. Use a rolling pin to gently roll the dough out to a circle about 20cm in diameter and 3cm thick. Brush the top with milk, then bake for 25-30 mins, until golden. Remove from the oven, peel off the baking paper and leave on a wire rack to cool.
4. While the scone is cooking, make the compote. Place the chopped strawberries, caster sugar and lemon juice in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a gentle rolling boil. Cook for around 15 mins until it starts to look syrupy, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Chill in the fridge until needed.
5. Place the creams in a bowl and whisk to stiff peaks. When ready to serve, stir in the strawberry compote.
6. Carefully slice the scone in half horizontally and smother the lower half in the cream and strawberry mix. Cover with sliced strawberries, then pop the top of the scone back on. Dust with icing sugar, if you like.(Recipe by OcadoLife).
Strawberry shortbread
Ingredients:
About 25g shortbread biscuits
15g shelled pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
2 tbsp melted butter
4 ripe strawberries
About 12 fresh raspberries
100g blueberries
4 tbsp strawberry conserve
1 tbsp elderflower cordial
100g soft cheese
125g ready-made vanilla custard
75g crème fraîche
Extra fruits, chopped pistachios and mini shortbreads, to decorate
Method:
1. Put the shortbread biscuits in a plastic food bag and crush to crumbs with a rolling pin. Mix with the pistachio nuts and melted butter and divide between two conserve jars.
2. Thinly slice 2 strawberries and use to line the inside of the jars. Roughly chop the remaining strawberries and spoon into the centre. Top with the raspberries and blueberries.
3. Stir together the Bonne Maman Conserve, the elderflower cordial and 1 tablespoon of water. Spoon over the fruit.
4. Finally, beat the soft cheese, custard and crème fraîche together until smooth and spoon on top of the fruits.
5. Finish with some extra fruits, a sprinkling of nuts and a mini shortbread Crown biscuit.
Gin strawberry spritz
Ingredients:
50ml Sipsmith London Dry Gin
15ml Briottet Creme de Fraise (Gabriel Boudier or Giffard also acceptable)
100ml Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic
Method:
1. Add ingredients to an ice-filled glass.
2. Lift from the bottom of the glass with a stirrer or bar spoon to gently combine the ingredients.
3. Garnish with freshly sliced strawberries.
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