Berry delicious
Strawberries have been around for a few weeks. If you’re getting tired of them try these recipes
Moist Chocolate Strawberry Trifle
Serves 8
600g strawberries
4 tbsp orange liqueur
500g mascarpone
100g caster sugar
3 large eggs, separated
8 ready-made chocolate brownies
50g plain chocolate, grated
l Hull and halve the strawberries. Mix with the orange liqueur in a large bowl and leave to stand for about 30 minutes.
l Beat the mascarpone with the sugar and egg yolks until smooth. Whisk the egg whites to form soft peaks and gently stir a little into the mascarpone mixture. Fold in the rest.
l Halve the brownies horizontally. Cover the base of a glass bowl neatly. Add half the strawberry mixture, then half the mascarpone mixture. Top with another layer of brownies and repeat with remaining strawberries and cream. Chill for several hours or overnight.
l To decorate, scatter with grated chocolate and extra strawberries.
If you’d rather not use raw egg, substitute with 250ml whipping cream or use egg yolks to make a light custard
Easy Strawberry and Orange Galette
Serves 8
250g puff pastry, thawed if frozen
plain flour for dusting
750g strawberries
2 tsp caster sugar
juice of 1 orange
squeeze of lemon juice
250g mascarpone
25g toasted flaked almonds
1 tbsp icing sugar
l Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/ gas 6. On a lightly-floured surface, roll pastry out into to a 25x30cm rectangle. Transfer to a non-stick or lightly greased baking sheet. Prick all over. Bake for 10 minutes, carefully turn over, then bake for 5 minutes or until golden and fluffy. Slide on to a wire rack and leave to cool.
l Hull the strawberries and quarter or halve. Sprinkle with the caster sugar, tossing until sugar dissolves and the fruit is juicy. Add the citrus juices, toss and leave for 10 minutes or until the pastry is cold. Toss again.
l Tip the mascarpone into a bowl. Put the strawberries in a sieve over the bowl so the juice drips in. Beat in until smooth.
l Spread mascarpone over the pastry to the edges. Arrange strawberries on top; sprinkle with almonds and icing sugar.
Strawberry and Cinnamon Cake
Serves 8
175g ground almonds
175g butter, softened
175g golden caster sugar
175g self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg and 1 egg yolk
450g strawberries, hulled and sliced
icing sugar, for dusting
l Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Butter and line the base of a loose-bottomed 23 cm cake tin. Whiz the ground almonds, butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon, egg and egg yolk in a food processor until evenly mixed.
l Tip half the mixture into the tin and smooth. Spread the strawberries on top. Cover with remaining cake mixture; spread smooth.
l Bake for 1 hour. Check after 40 minutes and cover with foil if needed. Cake should be slightly risen and dark golden brown.
l Cool slightly, then remove from the tin. Slide on to a plate and dust with icing sugar. Serve warm in wedges and with scoops of vanilla ice cream.
