P
The
Dorsets
L E N T Y
ital Ingredient:
Strawberries
Strawberries and cream is the taste of summer, but is there another way to eat
Britain’s favourite berry? Tom East tries new flavours…
S
8
urely there can be no better way of eating strawberries than
with cream. Macerating the berries in balsamic vinegar brings
out their flavour, but when you’ve got the freshest, juiciest
scarlet sensations, it’s hard to resist the temptation to crack
open a carton of cream and wolf them down.
Freshness is the key. Growing or picking your own at farms is
preferable, but you can get quality berries from markets, and even
supermarkets are now stocking a wider variety. Good varieties include
Sonata, Jubilee, Ava and Sweet Eve, but whatever you buy, you should
give them a once over – you’re looking for unblemished berries with
bright green stalks. Now it’s time to slather them in cream.
Or, you could take an extra five minutes to make an Eton Mess with
whipped cream and bashed up meringues. Got even more time? A
strawberry trifle with sponge, cream and custard is a good weekender
that’ll delight the kids, or, if you want something more sophisticated,
sandwich strawberries and cream between layers of crisp puff pastry for
a millefeuille. All good, but still variations of strawberries and cream.
Now, then, for something completely different. Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall suggests making a strawberry pizza with olives, cherry
tomatoes, mozzarella and onions. If you’re not ready to take the plunge,
slice up one strawberry, a cherry tomato, plus a black olive and try them
together – surprisingly good, isn’t it? Now you can take it further with
a handful each of sliced strawberries, cherry tomatoes and olives – tear
over some mozzarella, a few mint leaves and drizzle with a lemon and
olive oil dressing and you’ve got an unusual salad that’s not only pretty
to look at, but bowl-lickingly delicious. Next, try charred halloumi with
strawberries, mint and that lemon dressing – you won’t get a better
flavour combination. Apart, maybe, from cream.
Once picked, strawberries don’t ripen
any further so make sure they’re ripe when
you buy them or pick your own.
www.menu-dorset.co.uk
Victoria Sponge with
Strawberries and
Cream
Ser ves 4- 6
Adding a beaten egg a little at a time makes this
the lightest sponge you’ll eat. The strawberries
and cream makes it a little bit naughty.
Ingredients
180g unsalted butter, softened
180g caster sugar
3 eggs, plus one egg yolk
180g self-raising flour, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 tbsp strawberry jam
200g fresh strawberries
150ml double cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, lightly grease two
sandwich tins and line with baking paper.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together until it is
pale in colour (almost white) and fluffy. Now beat )ѡ