When we have willing workers staying with us, one of our traditions is that they cook a dish that is meaningful to them and their family. Strawberry shortcake has made an appearance several times, which speaks to the universal love for this small but utterly delicious fruit. However, this shortcake is also perfect for many other types of fruit, from cooked apples to stewed rhubarb, fresh peaches or sliced apricots.
Strawberry Shortcake
Serves 6
Ingredients
• 250g self-raising flour
• pinch of salt
• 70g white sugar
• 80g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 egg yolks
• 50ml milk
• 260g fresh, ripe strawberries, hull removed and sliced
• icing sugar for dusting
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Mix the flour, salt and 60g of sugar in a bowl and use your fingers to rub the butter into the mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Mix the yolks with the milk, make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquid. Work quickly with a stout spoon to form a soft dough and turn onto the prepared tray. Use your hands to form a circle, 4cm thick and 15cm in diameter.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Check it is cooked through and allow to cool a little.
Meanwhile, mix the sliced strawberries with about 10g of white sugar. This is enough to bring out the flavour without being overly sweet, but the amount will depend on the ripeness of your berries.
With a sharp or serrated knife cut the shortcake into two layers and, while still warm, generously spread one layer with additional butter. Pile on the sliced berries, place on the top layer and dust with icing sugar. Serve in wedges with lightly whipped cream or yoghurt on the side.
Apricot Tart
This recipe is a delicious way to eat seasonal fruit. Our favourite is apricots, but you can also use plums and figs or even poached quinces and pears. If using berries, just add them at the end after cooking the tart.
Serves 8
Crust
• 125g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 90g sugar
• ⅛ tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of sea salt
• 180g plain flour
• 2 tbsp finely ground almonds
Filling
• 100ml double cream
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• ¼ tsp almond extract
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 750g seasonal fruit, halved
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter the bottom and sides of a 23cm fluted tart tin with a removable bottom.
In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and mix together with a wooden spoon. Add the vanilla extract, sea salt and flour, stirring to form a soft, biscuit-like dough. Do not let it form a ball. Transfer the dough to the centre of the buttered tin. Use the tips of your fingers to evenly press the pastry along the bottom and sides of the tin. The dough will be quite thin.
Place the tin in the centre of the oven and bake for about 12-15 minutes, until the dough is slightly puffy. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the ground almonds over the crust to prevent it from becoming soggy.
Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, combine the cream, egg, extracts and honey and whisk to blend. Whisk in the flour.
Starting just inside the edge of the prebaked pastry, neatly overlap the halved apricots, cut-side up, at a slight angle in concentric circles, working towards the centre. Pour the cream mixture into a gap and swirl to distribute across the tart evenly.
Bake until the filling is firm and the pastry is a deep golden brown, about 50-60 minutes.
Set aside on a rack to cool before removing from the tart tin.
Variation
For berries or poached fruit, make the tart as above but cook without the fruit. After the tart has cooled, arrange the berries or poached fruit on top.
Christmas Meringue Wreath
This wreath can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container.
Serves 8-12, depending on the size of your Christmas meal leading up to dessert!
Meringue
• 6 egg whites
• 1½ cups caster sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
Topping
• 2 cups cream
• 3 cups mixed fresh berries
• large sprig of lemon verbena or greenery to decorate
Method
Preheat the oven to 150°C (not fan bake).
Draw a 26cm circle on a piece of baking paper. Inside that draw a 10cm circle. This is the template for your wreath. Turn the baking paper over before placing on the baking tray, so the ink doesn’t combine with your meringue.
Whisk the egg whites until they’re soft peaks. Continue to beat, adding the sugar a tablespoon or two at a time until it has dissolved – the mixture will be thick and glossy at this point. Add the lemon juice and beat for a further 1-2 minutes.
Drop heaped tablespoons of the meringue between the two circles, making sure the dollops touch each other to form the wreath. Gently push the tops down with the back of the spoon to form indents that the cream will eventually sit in.
Put the meringue in the oven, turning it down to 130°C as you do. Bake for about 1½ hours until lightly golden and crisp on the outside, and then turn off the oven, leaving the meringue inside to cool completely.
To serve, whip the cream until thick and dollop it over the wreath. Arrange the berries over the top of the cream, ensuring a good spread of different types. It doesn’t matter if they spill over the edge; this just adds to the sense of abundance. Add the greenery to the bottom of the wreath. You can also add more fresh berries as an accompaniment.
An edited extract from The Food Farm, by Angela Clifford and Nick Gill (Bateman Books, RRP $55).
