Strawberries with Mint
One of our favourite ways to eat strawberries and good way to perk up less than perfect berries.
Serves 8-10
900g (2lb) ripe strawberries
2-3 tablespoons (2 1/2 – 4 American tablespoons) castor sugar
freshly squeezed lemon juice of 1/2 – 1 lemon
2-3 tablespoons (2 1/2 – 4 American tablespoons) fresh mint leaves, torn or shredded
Cut the strawberries into quarters or slice into lengthwise. Sprinkle with caster sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Scatter with torn mint leaves, toss gently, taste, adjust with a little more sugar or freshly squeezed lemon juice if necessary. Serve alone or with softly whipped cream.
Elderflower Fritters with Gooseberry and Elderflower Compote
Serves 4
4 ozs (110g/scant 1 cup) white flour
pinch of salt
1 egg, preferably free range
¼ pint (150ml/generous ½ cup) lukewarm water
castor sugar
Gooseberry and elderflower compote, see recipe
Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and drop in the egg, using a whisk bring in the flour gradually from the edges slowly adding in the water at the same time. Heat the oil in a deep fry to 180C/350F. Hold the flowers by the stalks and dip into the batter. Fry until golden brown in the hot oil. Drain on kitchen paper, toss in castor sugar and serve immediately with Gooseberry and elderflower compote.
Blackcurrant Fool
Serves 6
350g (12oz) fresh or frozen blackcurrants
200ml (7fl oz/scant 1 cup) stock syrup (see recipe)
600ml (1 pint/2 1/2 cups) very softly whipped cream
Cover the blackcurrants with stock syrup. Bring to the boil and cook for about 4–5 minutes until the fruit bursts. Liquidize and sieve or purée the fruit and syrup and measure it. When the purée has cooled, add the softly whipped cream. Serve with
shortbread biscuits.
An alternative presentation is to layer the purée and softly whipped cream in tall sundae glasses, ending with a drizzle of thin purée over the top.
Note
Frozen blackcurrants tend to be less sweet. Taste – you may need
to add extra sugar. A little stiffly beaten egg white may be added to lighten the fool. The fool should not be very stiff, more like the texture of softly whipped cream. If it is too stiff, stir in a little milk rather than more cream.
Meringue with Raspberries and Rosewater Cream
A fan oven works really well for meringues but don’t forget to reduce the temperature by 10-20% depending on your make of oven.
Serves 10
Meringue
4 organic egg whites
9 ozs (250g/13/4 cups) approx. icing sugar, sieved
rose blossom water
chilled whipped cream
fresh raspberries
organic rose petals
fresh mint leaves
Silicone paper
First make the meringue. Cover two baking sheets with silicone paper. Otherwise grease and flour the sheet very carefully.
Draw two 10” circles on the silicone paper with a pencil.
Put the egg whites and all the sieved icing sugar into a spotlessly clean bowl and whisk until the mixture forms stiff peaks. This can take 8-10 minutes in an electric mixer. Alternatively you can whisk it by hand but it takes quite a long time, so if you have even a hand-held mixer it will speed up matters a lot.
Divide the meringue mixture between the two circles and spread with a palette knife into two even discs.
Bake in a low oven 150°C/300ºF/regulo 2 for 45 minutes or until the meringue discs will lift easily off the paper. Turn off the oven and allow them to cool in the oven if possible.
To serve: Add the rose blossom water to taste to the cream. Put a disc of meringue onto a serving plate. Spread with a layer of the softly whipped rosewater cream. Save some cream for the top. Sprinkle with a generous layer of fresh raspberries (keep a few for decoration). Top with the second meringue disc. Whip the cream stiffly and use to decorate the top with raspberries, rose petals and fresh mint leaves.
Rustic Peach Tart with Summer Berries
Serves 6-8
Pastry
8 ozs (225 g/generous 2 cups) plain white flour
1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) castor sugar
4 ozs (110 g/1 stick butter), cut into 1/2 inch (1cm) dice
cold water or cream to mix
Filling
3-4 ozs (75-110g/scant 1/2 cup) sugar
1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) corn flour
4 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick
4 ozs (110g) blueberries
4 ozs (110g) raspberries
Castor sugar for sprinkling, about 1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon)
1 x 9 inch (23cm) pie plate or tart tin.
First make the pastry, put the flour and sugar into a bowl, rub in the cold butter. When the mixture looks like breadcrumbs, add just enough water or cream to bind. Knead lightly to get the mixture to come together. Cover with wax or silicone paper and rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 14 inch (35cm) round approximately. Transfer to a 23cm (9 inch) greased plate or baking sheet.
Just before filling the tart.
Mix the sugar with the corn flour. Toss in the sliced peaches and blueberries. Stir gently. Add the raspberries, but don’t stir. Pour the fruit and the juices into the chilled tart shell and distribute evenly. Fold the overhanging edge to cover the outer portion of the filling, leaving a 5 inch (12.5cm) opening of exposed fruit in the centre of the tart. Brush the pastry with cream, sprinkle with a little sugar.
Bake the tart in a preheated oven 220°C/427°F/Gas Mark 7 for 8-10 minutes, lower the temperature to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and bake for 30 to35 minutes longer. Serve warm or at room temperature with softly whipped cream.
Alternatively, sprinkle with castor sugar when cooked.