I used to be a purist when it came to strawberries – I could never see the point of combining something so heavenly with any other ingredient but cream – but I have turned into something of a liberal since discovering that, when paired with other ingredients that are also sweet and sharp, they make a marriage that is more delectable and exciting than the sum of its two parts. So, these days, I’m more than happy to mix the likes of tomatoes, watermelon or rhubarb with my punnet of strawberries, and watch the magic happen.
Watermelon and strawberry granita (pictured above)
I’ve called this a granita, because it’s no-churn and not entirely smooth, but it’s more like a sorbet, really. It’s incredibly refreshing, and the perfect end to a summer meal when you’re too full or hot to handle a rich dessert, but still need a sweet hit. Transfer it from the freezer to the fridge for five to 10 minutes before serving, to make it easier to scoop.
Prep 10 min
Cook 10 min
Freeze 5 hr
Serves 4
½ small seedless watermelon, peeled, flesh cut into 2cm chunks (350g net weight)
150g ripe strawberries, hulled, roughly chopped
5g makrut lime leaves, stalks removed, then blitzed in a spice grinder (or very finely chopped)
125g glucose
4 limes – finely grate enough skin to get 2 tsp zest, then juice 2 to get 3 tbsp; cut the rest into wedges, to serve
2 tbsp vodka
2 tsp caster sugar
Put both fruits in a large container and freeze until solid – about two hours.
Meanwhile, put two-thirds of the makrut lime leaves in a small saucepan with the glucose, lime juice and zest, and vodka, and gently heat on a medium flame until the glucose has melted and is warm. Leave to infuse, preferably for at least an hour, then reheat until warm and runny. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve, and discard the bits of lime leaf. Put the frozen fruit and makrut syrup in a blender, and blitz until smooth and slushy.
Transfer everything to a container, cover with a lid or clingfilm, and freeze until firm – about three hours. Meanwhile, mix the remaining shredded lime leaves with the caster sugar. Serve the granita with a little lime sugar sprinkled on top and lime wedges alongside.
Tomato, strawberry and basil salad
The only time involved here is in the marinating of the onion in lemon and vinegar to create the most brilliant dressing. After that, all you have to do is toss everything together at the last minute (this salad doesn’t take kindly to being left to sit around) and serve with grilled fish or a range of similarly summery snacks.
Prep 10 min
Pickle 1-2 hr
Cook 5 min
Serves 4 as a side
1½ tbsp white-wine vinegar
1 lemon – finely pare off 3 wide strips of peel; then juice, to get 1 tbsp
1 tsp caster sugar
Salt and black pepper
½ large red onion, peeled and finely sliced on a mandoline
350g medium vine tomatoes, roughly cut into 4cm pieces
150g strawberries, hulled, cut in half lengthways, then into 5mm-thick slices
5g basil leaves, roughly torn
2½ tbsp olive oil
Whisk the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and a quarter-teaspoon of salt in a small bowl, then add the onion and lemon peel, and leave to pickle for at least an hour, preferably two or longer, stirring a couple of times.
Make the salad just before you’re ready to serve. Put the tomatoes in a sieve set over a large bowl and leave to drain for five minutes. Meanwhile, drain the pickled onions, reserving the pickling liquid to use in the dressing. Remove and finely chop the lemon peel.
Put the strawberries in a bowl with the drained tomatoes and add three-quarters of the onions, three-quarters of the basil, two tablespoons of pickling liquid, the oil and a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Stir gently, then transfer to a large, shallow bowl. Arrange the remaining pickled onions and basil on top, then scatter with the chopped lemon peel. Finish with a good grind of black pepper and serve at once.
Strawberry and rhubarb custard slice
Claudine Bouldstridge, who has been testing my recipes for years, dubbed this her “last dinner dish”. I secretly agree. Use shop-bought sweet shortcrust pastry to save time, if you prefer.
Prep 8 min
Chill 1 hr (only if you make the pastry)
Cook 1 hr 50 min
Serves 10
For the sweet pastry
200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
25g caster sugar
110g fridge-cold unsalted butter, cut into 2cm dice
⅓ tsp salt
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
⅓ tsp white-wine vinegar
1-2 tbsp ice-cold water
For the fruit
200g strawberries, hulled and halved
200g rhubarb, cut into 3cm-long pieces
90g caster sugar
For the custard
4 egg yolks
2 tsp cornflour
60g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
500ml double cream
Put the first five ingredients for the pastry in the bowl of a food processor and blitz for a minute, until it’s the consistency of fine crumbs. Add the vinegar and water (start with a tablespoon and add more if you need it) and blitz again for 10-20 seconds, until the dough starts to come together. Tip out on to a work surface, shape into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for about an hour.
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry into a 2cm-thick rectangle about 32cm x 20cm. Carefully lift into a fluted rectangular tart tin that’s 16cm x 28cm with 3cm-high sides. Press the pastry into the corners and sides, allowing any excess to hang over the edges, then line with baking paper. Fill with baking beans (or uncooked rice or pulses) and bake for 25 minutes, until the edges of the pastry are golden brown. Remove the beans and paper, and bake for about 12 minutes more, until the base is also golden brown. Remove from the oven, trim off any overhanging pastry and leave to cool.
Turn up the oven to 200C/390F/gas 6. Mix the strawberries and rhubarb with the sugar and put in a 16cm x 28cm ovenproof dish: you want the fruit to fit snugly. Bake for 12-13 minutes, until the sugar has melted and the fruit has softened but still keeps its shape. Set aside to cool down, then transfer two-thirds of the fruit (but not the cooking juices) to the pastry case, arranging it randomly. Set aside the remaining fruit and juices: you should have about 80ml juice. Turn down the oven to 170C/335F/gas 3½.
For the custard, put the egg yolks, cornflour, sugar and vanilla essence in a large bowl and whisk smooth. Gradually whisk in the cream until combined, then tip into a jug. Carefully pour the custard over the fruit, then bake for 30-45 minutes (timings will depend on your tart tin: a round tart will take longer to cook than a long one, for example), until the custard has set and turned golden brown in places on top.
Remove from the oven, leave to cool, then transfer to the fridge to chill. Just before serving, remove the tart from its tin, spoon the reserved roast fruit and a few tablespoons of the syrupy juices lengthways down the centre, and serve.
