This display of the season’s best can double up as a light dessert or as a brunch centerpiece. You can make your own labneh but it requires draining the yoghurt for a good 24 hours, or you can make everything easily on the day using shop-bought labneh or some Greek-style yoghurt mixed with a little double cream. The berries you use are totally up to you, depending on what’s good and not too expensive. You can use fewer types, or some frozen berries, if you like, especially for those which get blitzed in the recipe. You’ll make more oil than you need; store it in a glass jar to drizzle over salads or lightly cooked vegetables.
* You must start this recipe at least the day before
Serves 6
900g sheep’s yoghurt, or cow’s yoghurt as an alternative
½ tsp salt
100ml good-quality olive oil
10g lemon thyme sprigs, plus a few extra picked thyme leaves to serve
1 orange: finely shave the skin to get 6 strips
200g blackberries
250g raspberries
300g strawberries, hulled and halved lengthways (or quartered if they’re larger)
50g caster sugar
1 lime: finely grate the zest to get 1 tsp, then juice to get 1 tbsp
200g blueberries
150g cherries, pitted
If you’re making your own labneh, put the yoghurt and salt into a medium bowl and mix well to combine. Line a colander with a piece of muslin large enough to hang over the sides and place the colander over a bowl. Transfer the yoghurt to the muslin and fold over the sides to completely encase the yoghurt. Place a heavy weight over the muslin (a few tins or jars will do), and transfer to the fridge to drain for at least 24 hours (and up to 48).
Meanwhile, put the oil into a small saucepan, for which you have a lid, on a medium heat. Heat gently for about 7 minutes, or until tiny air bubbles form. Remove from the heat, add the thyme and orange strips, then cover with a lid and leave to infuse, ideally overnight, though half an hour will also do the job.
The next day, put 50g of blackberries, 100g of raspberries and 100g of strawberries into the small bowl of a food processor along with the sugar and lime juice and blitz until completely smooth. Put all the remaining berries and the cherries into a large bowl along with the blitzed fruit and gently combine. You can serve it straight away or leave it in the fridge for a few hours, bringing it back to room temperature before serving.
4. Spread the labneh out on a large platter. Spoon over the berries, then sprinkle with the lime zest. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the infused oil, along with a couple of the orange strips and the extra picked thyme leaves.
Gluten-free mixed berry crumble
I made this for Christmas this year and besides being really easy, it was a huge success.
I also prepped it the day before, so just had to throw in the oven after the Christmas dinner was served up.
Very easy!
Serves 6, but can be doubled easily
6 cups mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and hulled/chopped strawberries)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp cinnamon for berries
1/4 tsp cinnamon for the crumble
1 cup oat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter, chilled
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
In a large bowl, combine berries, sugar, lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Add cornstarch and toss to coat berries. Transfer to a baking dish or oven-safe skillet.
In a bowl, combine flour, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until distributed.
Cut in the butter and using hands, rub the butter into the flour mixture until large crumbs form. Stir in walnuts, if using.
Sprinkle mixture over top of berries to completely cover.
Bake in a 375 F oven for about 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
Remove from oven and let stand for about 5 minutes.
Serve warm. Top with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Honey-Sweetened Mascarpone with Berries and Pistachios
Dahlia Narvaez adored the deliciously rich mascarpone cheese she ate in Umbria. “It’s such a great backdrop for all the different honeys made in Italy,” she says.
She made this dish with delicate Umbrian wildflower honey but says stronger honeys like chestnut would also be terrific.
1 cup mascarpone
1 teaspoon orange flower water (optional)
1/4 cup wildflower honey, warmed
4 cups mixed berries, such as raspberries, blackberries and halved strawberries 1/2 cup shelled pistachios, lightly toasted
In a small bowl, blend the mascarpone with the orange flower water and 2 tablespoons of the honey.
Spoon the mascarpone into large shallow bowls. Scatter the berries and pistachios on top and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of honey.
Extra special Eton Mess
This is the worlds easiest and most decadent desserts out there.
Lovely to serve on a summers day, especially if you add the cassis.
2.5 cups (600ml) thick whipping cream, chilled
15 oz Greek yoghurt, chilled
4 tbsp lemon curd
1 lb (500g) bag frozen mixed berries
4 tbsp icing sugar
2 tbsp cassis (optional)
1 pinch cinnamon
8 meringue nests (Trader Joes sells these)
In a small saucepan gently heat the frozen berries, icing sugar and cinnamon until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat, stir in the cassis, if using, and set aside to cool completely.
Whip the chilled cream and Greek yogurt until just holding it’s shape, ripple through the lemon curd.
Break the meringue nests into a glass bowl, or 8 individual glasses. Spoon over half the cream, then half the berries.
Repeat with the remaining cream and berries.
Serve immediately.
Watermelon, feta and blackberry skewers
This is wonderfully simple and delicious with the sweet and salty combined and very pretty on the plate. From the food blog, “A healthy life for me”
Serves: 24
1 small seedless ripe watermelon, cut into 1″cubes
6 ounces of Greek Feta cheese, cut into 1” cubes
Fresh ripe firm blackberries
Small wooden skewers
Skewer watermelon chunks, feta and blackberry.
Place on serving platter and store in refrigerator until ready to serve. How easy it that!
Easy meringue gelato cake with chocolate sauce
This must be one of the easiest recipes I have seen for something that looks so elegant and complicated. Thanks to Nigella Lawson for this gem.
You don’t spend long making it, can do it it ahead of time and everyone thinks you’re a genius! I’ll take it!
For the meringue gelato cake
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
1 oz bittersweet chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
1 tbsp coffee liqueur (and/or rum)
4 oz shop-bought meringue cookies
8 oz raspberries (to serve, optional)
For the chocolate sauce
1 cup heavy cream
⅔ cup bittersweet chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), finely chopped
2 tbsp coffee liqueur (and/or rum)
For the Meringue Gelato Cake:
Line a 450g / 1lb loaf tin with clingfilm, making sure you have enough overhang to cover the top later.
Whip the cream until thick but still soft.
Chop the chocolate very finely so that you have a pile of dark splinters, and fold them into the cream, along with the liqueur.
Now, using brute force, crumble the meringue cookies and fold these in, too.
Pack this mixture into the prepared loaf tin, pressing it down with a spatula as you go, and bring the clingfilm up and over to seal the top, then get out more clingfilm to wrap around the whole tin. Freeze until solid, which should take around 8 hours, or overnight.
To serve, unwrap the outer layer of plastic wrap, then unpeel the top and use these bits of long overhanging wrap to lift out the ice-cream brick. Unwrap and unmould it onto a board and cut the frozen meringue cake into slabs to serve. I like to zig-zag a little chocolate sauce over each slice, and sprinkle a few raspberries alongside on each plate.
For the Chocolate Sauce:
Pour the cream into a saucepan and add the tiny bits of chocolate.
Put over a gentle heat and whisk as the chocolate melts, taking the pan off the heat once the chocolate is almost all melted. If the mixture gets too hot, the chocolate will seize, whereas it will happily continue melting in the warm cream off the heat.
Add the liqueur, still off the heat, and whisk again to amalgamate the sauce completely. Pour into a jug, whisking every now and again until it cools to just subtly warm.
Summer berry terrine
This is the prettiest, lightest, most low calorie dessert I can possibly think of. It is a real stunner to look at and dead simple to make. I bet it will be a firm favorite for your outdoor or indoor dinners.
15 fluid ounces sparkling rose wine
2 oz superfine sugar (caster sugar)
2 x (1/4 oz) sachets of gelatine
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
For the fruit
12 oz sweet strawberries (not too large)
8 oz raspberries
12 oz blackcurrants, blueberries or red currants (or a mixture of them)
Fresh mint leaves
In addition to the ingredients, you will also need two 2 lb loaf tins, 7½ x 4¾ inches x 3½ inches deep, preferably non-stick but anyway with a good surface.
First, prepare the fruit: remove the stalks and halve the strawberries if they are any larger than a quail’s egg. Then mix the fruits together in a large bowl, being very gentle to avoid bruising them.
In a small saucepan heat half the rosé wine until it begins to simmer, then whisk the sugar and gelatine into it. Make sure that everything has dissolved completely before adding the remaining wine and the lime juice. Then pour the liquid into a pitcher and allow it to cool.
While that is happening, lay the mixed fruit in one of the loaf tins – it is worth arranging the bottom layer with the smallest, prettiest-shaped fruit as this will be on top when the terrine is turned out.
Next, pour all but 5 fl oz of the liquid over the fruit. Now lay a sheet of clingfilm over the tin, place the other tin directly on top, then put two unopened tins of tomatoes or something similar to act as weights into the top tin and put the whole lot into the fridge for about 1 hour, or until it has set.
Then warm up the remaining 5 fl oz wine mixture and pour it over the surface of the terrine. Re-cover with clingfilm and return to the fridge overnight to set firm.
When you are ready to serve, turn out the terrine by dipping the tin very briefly in hot water and inverting it on to a plate. Use a very sharp knife (also dipped first into hot water) to cut it into slices. Decorate with the fresh mint sprigs and serve with red berry coulis, chilled pouring cream, crème fraîche or Greek yoghurt.
Strawberries with mozzarella and mint pesto drizzle
I had this in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago and managed to figure out what was in it and work out a recipe.
It’s such a lovely idea to use sweet strawberries rather than tomatoes with the mint pesto and mozzarella, especially as strawberries go so well with balsamic vinegar dressing as well.
1 lb sweet strawberries, sliced
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup almonds, sliced
1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 clove garlic
1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (1/2 tsp for each serving)
In a bowl, combine strawberries and sugar. Cover and set aside.
For the mint pesto drizzle, in a food processor combine the olive oil, mint leaves sliced almonds, Parmesan cheese and garlic.
Divide the mozzarella and place the slices (overlapping) on each serving plate. Spoon ½ cup sugared strawberries around and on cheese.
Spoon ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar and 1 to 2 tablespoons of the mint pesto drizzle over cheese and strawberries on each plate. Garnish with mint leaves.
Grand Marnier macerated strawberries in wonton cups with orange mascarpone cream
Such a lovely, light idea for a dessert. The strawberries are given extra flavor by macerating in Grand Marnier or fresh orange juice and powdered sugar, and the crispy wonton pastry contrasts with the orange flavored cream. Gorgeous!
Makes about 24
Wontons
2 cups sweet strawberries, hulled, and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 tbsp Grand Marnier (OR 3 tbsp orange juice)
1 tbsp powdered sugar
cooking spray
24 wonton wrappers
Mascarpone whipped cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
3 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange
For garnish
Some fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
For the wontons
In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, Grand Marnier or orange juice and powdered sugar. Allow the strawberries to macerate for 20 minutes.
Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 350 F.
Spray a 24 count mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
To create the wonton cups, make a small fold in the center of each wonton and push it into the muffin cup. Bake the cups until the edges are golden, 5 to 6 minutes.
Cool the cups while you make the whipped cream.
For the whipped cream
In a bowl using an electric mixer, combine the heavy cream, mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and orange zest.
Whip the cream until it has soft peaks, about 3 minutes.
To assemble the cups
Drain the berries, reserving the macerating liquid. place a few berry slices in the bottom of each cup. Fill the cup with a tbsp of whipped cream and top with additional strawberries. Drizzle a little of the reserved macerated liquid over each wonton, sprinkle with chopped mint leaves and serve.
Blueberry and brioche brunch bake
Another fab Holiday brunch dish prepared the night before. This one oozing with sweet blueberries then covered in a warm blueberry sauce for good measure.
Makes 6 servings
For the breakfast casserole
4 brioche (about 14 oz in all) or 8 x 1” thick slices of brioche or other white bread, cubed
1/4 lb cream cheese, cut into cubes
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 1/2 tbsp grated orange zest
6 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
For the blueberry sauce
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tsp unsalted butter
3/4 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice
Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 12 x 9 x 2 (approx) baking dish
Arrange half the brioche slices or cubes in the bottom. Scatter the cream cheese cubes, 3/4 of the blueberries and the orange zest over the brioche or bread. Top with the remaining brioche or bread cubes.
In a bowl, stir the eggs, milk and maple syrup to blend. Pour this egg mixture evenly over the entire casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 F
Remove the casserole from the fridge 30 minutes before you cook it.
Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered until puffed and golden, about another 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the blueberry sauce;
In a large saucepan, blend the sugar and cornstarch, then stir in the water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture boils, thickens, and becomes clear, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the blueberries. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the blueberries burst, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and lemon juice and keep warm until the casserole is done.
Cut the baked casserole into 6 squares, and transfer to plates. Pour abut 1/4 cup blueberry sauce over each portion and serve hot.
