Here are two variations on a strawberries and cream theme, which make simple and refreshing puddings for warm days. Long, thin langues de chat biscuits are a perfect accompaniment for either: they look smart, and are easy to make. A piping bag is necessary to achieve the narrow shape which gives the biscuits their name, but no-less-pretty oval biscuits can be made by shaping the mixture with two teaspoons. It is the butter that gives them their rich flavour, so be sure to use best quality, and unsalted.
<strong>Langues de chat</strong>
2oz / 50g unsalted butter
2oz / 50g caster sugar
2oz / 50g plain flour
2 egg whites
vanilla or lemon peel
Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Cut the butter into pieces, mash with a wooden spoon in a mixing bowl, and cream until soft. Add the sugar, work it in with the spoon and then whisk with an electric beater until very well blended. Add a pinch of vanilla powder or grate in a little lemon peel. Whisk a spoonful of egg white into the butter, followed by a spoonful of flour. Continue alternating spoonfuls of egg white and flour until it is all mixed in. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a large round or rosette nozzle and pipe two-inch lengths onto baking sheets lined with baking paper. Alternatively, form small, flat oblong blobs of mixture with two teaspoons. Leave space for the biscuits to expand during cooking. Bake at 200ºC / gas mark 6 for six to eight minutes, until the biscuits are brown around the edges but still pale in the centre. Peel the biscuits from the baking paper and allow them to cool.
<strong>Strawberry fool</strong>
The mixture of strawberry purée and cream should be kept in a nearly frozen state, or it will be too runny to eat with a spoon.
Serves six
1½lb / 675g strawberries
3oz / 75g caster sugar
½ pint / 300ml double cream
Wash, hull and purée the strawberries. Stir in the sugar. Whip the cream lightly until just thick, but not stiff.
Stir it gradually into the strawberry purée. Put the mixture in the freezer for 90 minutes to two hours until it starts to solidify around the edges, and then stir to break up the ice crystals.
Check and stir every hour or so until you are nearly ready to serve. Then spoon into individual glass dishes, small bowls or champagne coupes and leave in the fridge for the last 30 minutes to one hour.
<strong>Strawberry parfait</strong>
Parfait does not have to be churned in an ice-cream maker, but is frozen in a mould. Individual moulds will take at least four hours to freeze. A loaf tin lined with baking paper can also be used successfully, in which case the parfait should be frozen overnight. This recipe makes enough for six 100ml or 3½ fl oz moulds or ramekins.
Line any flat surfaces with baking paper to make turning out easier. The mixture and the moulds are chilled before freezing so that it freezes as rapidly as possible. This makes for smaller ice crystals and a smoother texture. Put it in the bottom of the freezer, where it is coldest. The parfait looks lovely with a simple garnish of halved strawberries.
Be careful not to whisk the cream too much. Once it is stiff, it is very difficult to incorporate into the mixture. It should just be starting to thicken, but still liquid.
Serves six
1lb / 450g strawberries
3 egg yolks
4oz / 110g caster sugar
⅓ pint/ 175ml double cream
lemon juice
Wash, hull and purée the strawberries and add a few drops of lemon juice. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together thoroughly with an electric beater until the mixture is pale and thick. Put the mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water and continue whisking for about five minutes until it is very thick. Allow to cool and gradually whisk in the strawberry purée.
Whisk the cream until it starts to thicken but is still liquid. Stir it into the strawberry mixture. Put the bowl with the mixture, as well as the moulds that will be used, into the freezer for about two hours. Then stir to break up any ice crystals and pour into the mould or moulds and freeze.
Transfer to the fridge 20 minutes before serving. To unmould, briefly pour some hot water over the mould, run a small knife around the edge if necessary and turn it over onto a serving plate.
<strong><strong>This article appears in the July/August 2024 Summer Special edition of the <em>Catholic Herald</em>. To subscribe to our award-winning, thought-provoking magazine and have independent and high-calibre counter-cultural Catholic journalism delivered to your door anywhere in the world click <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/subscribe/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">HERE</mark></a></strong></strong>.
