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2. desserts and baking

Strawberry Tea
Summer 2009
Sensational
strawberry recipes
Nigella Lawson
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES
For the shortcakes:
325g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
5 tablespoons caster sugar
125g unsalted butter, frozen
1 large egg, beaten
125ml single cream
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 baking tray, greased or lined
6 ½cm round cutter
For the filling:
Approximately 300g strawberries
1 tablespoon caster sugar
Few drops balsamic vinegar
(optional)
250ml double cream or crème
fraîche
Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7.
Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and
3 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl.
Grate the butter into these dry
ingredients and use your fingertips to
finish crumbling the butter into the
flour. Whisk the egg into the cream,
and pour into the flour mixture a little
at a time, using a fork to mix. You may
not need all of the eggy cream to make
the dough come together, so
go cautiously.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly
floured surface, and roll gently to a
thickness of about 2cm. Dip the cutter
in flour and cut out as many rounds
as you can. Work the scraps back
into a dough, re-roll and finish cutting
out – you should get 8 in all. Place the
shortcakes about 2 ½ cm apart on
the baking sheet, brush the tops with
the egg white, and sprinkle them with
the remaining 2 tablespoons of caster
sugar. If it helps with the rest of your
cooking, or life in general, you can
cover and refrigerate them now for up
to 2 hours.
Bake for 10–15 minutes, until
golden-brown, and let them cool for a
short while on a wire rack. Meanwhile,
crush half the strawberries with the
spoonful of sugar and the few drops
of balsamic vinegar if using, and halve
or quarter the remaining strawberries,
depending on their size. Whip the
double cream, if you’re using.
The shortcakes should be eaten while
still warm, so split each one across
the middle and cover with a spoonful
of the crushed strawberry mixture, a
few halved or quartered strawberries,
then dollop some whipped cream or
crème fraîche on top, and set the top
back on.
Makes 8
Extracted from HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS by Nigella Lawson.
Published by Chatto & Windus at £17.99. Copyright © Nigella Lawson 2000
and Photographs Copyright © Petrina Tinslay 2000.
Jill Dupleix
STRAWBERRY
HOTCAKES
Serves 4/Makes 12
110 g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
60 g caster sugar
1 large egg
150 ml milk
1 tbsp butter
150 g thick yoghurt or
crème fraiche
200 g strawberries,
hulled
A few mint or basil leaves
Sift the flour and baking powder into a
bowl. Add the sugar and mix. Beat the
egg and milk together and gradually
pour into the flour, whisking until it just
comes together, without over-mixing.
Heat a little of the butter in a non-stick
pan. Add batter by the tablespoonful
and cook until little holes appear in the
top, about 1 minute. Turn and cook
the other side, about 1 minute.
Keep warm while you add a little
more butter and cook the
remaining hotcakes.
If the berries are large, cut in half or
quarters. Spoon the yoghurt onto
each hotcake, arrange strawberries on
top, tuck in mint leaves, and serve.
Lighten Up, published by Quadrille. Photography Jill Dupleix.
Jean-Christophe Novelli
SPICED MIXED BERRIES
WITH YOGURT
Serves: 3-4
Preparation Time: 5-6 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 4-6 hours
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
100g raspberries
100g strawberries, hulled
and sliced in half
100g redcurrants
100 g blackcurrants
100g blueberries
1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways
50g acacia honey
20ml water
Lemon juice
To serve
Greek yogurt
Springs fresh mint
1. Preheat a large, heavy-based pan
until very hot. In the dry pan, pan fry
the star anise and cinnamon for 2-3
minutes to release the aromas, then
add the fruits and vanilla, and cook,
shaking the pan, for another
3 minutes.
2. Add the honey and allow to melt,
undisturbed, for 2 minutes or until the
fruit is coated in the syrup.
3. Add the water and a splash of
lemon juice to taste. Allow to cook,
undisturbed, for 1 more minute
to infuse.
4. Remove from heat, turn into a glass
or ceramic dish, and leave overnight in
the fridge to chill.
5. Remove the vanilla pod. Serve
chilled with a dollop of yogurt and a
sprig of mint.
Everyday Novelli, Published by Headline, with photography by Noel Murphy
Mary Berry
STRAWBERRY CAKE
Makes: 8 servings
Prep time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 1 hr plus 4hr
chilling time
60g slivered almonds
6 egg whites
225g (8oz) caster sugar
600g (1 ¼ lb) strawberries
Chocolate butter cream
(see cook’s notes below)
450ml (¾pt) double or
whipping cream
1. In a frying pan over a medium heat,
toast the almonds until golden, stirring
frequently. Then allow to cool. In a food
processor or a blender, blend almonds
until finely ground. Set aside.
2. Line 2 large baking sheets with baking
parchment or foil. Using 20-cm/8-inch
round plate or cake tin as a guide,
mark 2 circles on each baking sheet.
3. Preheat oven to 140°C (275°F / gas
mark 1). In a large bowl, with the electric
mixer on full speed, beat egg whites
until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle
in the sugar, 1tbsp at a time, beating
well at each addition until whites stand
in soft, glossy peaks.
4. In the meringue mixture, using a wire
whisk or rubber spatula, carefully fold
the ground, toasted almonds.
5. Spoon one quarter of the mixture
inside each circle on baking parchment
or foil; with palette knife, evenly spread
meringue to cover entire circle.
6. Place baking sheets with meringue
on two oven racks and bake for 30
mins. Switch baking sheets between
racks so the meringue browns evenly:
bake for 30 mins longer or until golden.
9. Place 1 meringue layer on a serving
platter and using a palette knife,
spread with one third of the butter
cream. Top with one third of the sliced
strawberries. Make 2 more layers and
top with the last meringue layer.
10. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the
double or whipping cream until stiff
peaks form. Spoon about one third of
the cream into a piping bag with large
star tube and set aside.
11. Spread the remaining whipped
cream on the top and side of the
gateau. Decorate the top edge with the
cream from the piping bag and use a
four-pronged fork to make vertical line
around the side of the cake.
12. Chill the dacquoise in the fridge for
4 hrs to soften the meringue layers
slightly, making it easier to cut.
13. Cut 16 slices from the remaining
strawberries and press into the cream
on the side of the cake.
7. Cool meringues on baking sheets
on wire racks for 10 mins. Using a fish
slice, loosen the meringues from the
baking sheets and transfer to the wire
racks. Cool completely.
14. Top the cake with the remaining
strawberries, hulled and cut in half.
Cook’s note: Here’s how to make your
own chocolate butter cream. In a large
bowl, use an electric mixer to beat
together 450g (1lb) sifted icing sugar,
90g (3oz) softened butter, 3tbsp milk
or single cream and 45g (1 ½ oz) cocoa
powder until smooth. Add more milk, if
necessary, until the butter cream has
an easy spreading consistency.
8. Hull and thinly slice 150g (5oz)
strawberries. Prepare the chocolate
butter cream (see cook’s notes below).
Taken from Desserts (Dorling
Kindersley) www.maryberry.co.uk
Sensational
strawberry
recipes
Thanks to all the celebrity
chefs who donated a recipe
in support of Strawberry Tea
2009. We hope you enjoy
making them!
Visit www.breastcancercare.
org.uk/strawberry for more
delicious Strawberry Tea
recipes, including some easy
recipes for children and guests
with dietary requirements.
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