Strasberry & Mint Sundae
If you’ve ever been strawberry picking, you know how incredible strawberry fields smell. On a hot, early summer’s day, you could get drunk off the sweet scent. Sometimes you can mimic the experience by sticking your nose into a punnet of strawberries, but it’s not really recommended.
My kids were fortunate when they were growing up as my parents had the most wonderful fruit and vegetable garden, with a soft fruit cage teaming with strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and redcurrants and not forgetting the unbelievably good cherries. When the boys were small, that is where you’d find them, stuffing their faces, with strawberry juice dripping from their chins.
Strasberries remind me of the alpine strawberries you find growing in the forests in Sweden. Strasberries have tiny, deeply positioned seeds make them look like a cross between a strawberry and raspberry, hence the name but in fact they’re not a true hybrid fruit. They are soft and super sweet with an intense flavour and aroma. Derived from wild strawberry species in America, they are like bigger alpine strawberries.
Strasberries
I love a fruity dessert, especially if it doesn’t take an age to make and can be prepared ahead, this is just that. You can buy the sorbet however strawberry sorbet is child’s play, it takes fewer minutes than it would take you to go out and buy it from the supermarket. This is a perfect recipe for party leftovers, or for berries that are still really delicious but less-than-perfect looking;
Some years ago, I invested in a Thermomix, it’s an all singing and dancing kitchen gadget, horribly expensive, although I justified my purchase to myself as I was catering for an awful lot of functions at the time. I made the sabayon and sorbet in it. My sorbet is a cheats version, it takes minutes to make, if you have a blender or a food processor you can do the same.
Strasberry & Mint Sundae, Prosecco Sabayon, Oat & Almond Clusters
Ingredients
Oat & Almond Clusters
- 60 g Jumbo Oats
- 40 g Almond Slivers
- 15 g Honey
- 15 g Maple Syrup
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
- 1/2 medium Egg White
- Fruit Salad
- 425 g Strasberries or a mixture of Strasberries Strawberries & Raspberries, save a few to garnish with
- 30 g Caster tablespoons sugar
- 60 ml Prosecco or other sparkling wine
- 8-10 Mint Leaves
Prosecco Sabayon
- 100 ml Whipping cream or 60ml Double & 30ml Single Cream
- 3 large egg yolks
- 45 g Caster sugar
- 75 ml Prosecco or other sparkling wine
- Strawberry sorbet
- 400 g Strawberries sliced and frozen in a single layer
- 60-90 g Icing Sugar
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1 Medium Egg White optional
Instructions
Oat & Almond Clusters
- Pre-heat the oven 160C. Combine the oats, almonds, honey, maple syrup, vanilla bean paste and egg white in a bowl. Have a baking tray ready lined with baking parchment. Spread the oat mixture on the tray, you don’t need to be too careful with this , just a rough single layer as you want the oats and almonds to cluster together. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown, turning half way through the cooking time. Cool. Can be kept in an airtight container for several weeks.
Strawberry Salad
- Cut the large strasberries in half, slice the strawberries if using. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with the caster sugar, pour over the Prosecco, finely slice the mint and add this too. Macerate slightly with a fork, let it stand at room temperature until juices form, about 30 minutes. Can be made a few hours ahead. Cover and chill.
Prosecco Sabayon
- Whip the cream in a medium bowl until soft peaks form; refrigerate until ready to use. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice and cold water. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar to blend in a medium metal or glass bowl; add 75 ml Prosecco and whisk to blend.
- Set the bowl over saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly and vigorously until the mixture is thick and resembles softly beaten whipping cream, approximately 6 minutes. Set the bowl with sabayon in a bowl of ice and cold water and whisk occasionally until the sabayon is cool. Fold in chilled whipped cream. The Sabayon can be made a few hours ahead. Cover and chill.
Strawberry Sorbet
- Place the slices of frozen strawberries in a sturdy food processor or blender with 60g of sugar, the egg white (if using) and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Blitz for 10-15 seconds, then scrap down the sides and blitz again until smooth. Check the sweetness, add more icing sugar if needed. Place in a plastic container and pop in the freezer. Make an hour or two in advance.
To Asssemble
- Spoon a scoop of strawberry sorbet into either 4 glasses or bowls, top with the strasberry salad. Spoon over the Sabayon; sprinkle each glass with 1 tablespoon or so of the oat and almond clusters and a few saved strasberries, serve immediately.
