The Irish Mail on Sunday

STRAWBERRY & RASPBERRY CHARLOTTE ROYALE

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I thought this stunning dessert would be great to eat sitting by the riverbank in Oxford… until a coachload of screaming kids turned up, which ruined the illusion!

Serves 8

1tsp olive oil or vegetable oil

3 x 20cm ready-made Swiss roll cakes, each cut into 5mm slices

200g (7oz) raspberrie­s

For the mousse

16 gelatine leaves

500g (1lb 2oz) good-quality fresh custard

300ml (10fl oz) good-quality strawberry or raspberry sauce

6 egg whites

600ml (1pt) double cream

To serve

200g (7oz) Irish summer fruit (strawberri­es, raspberrie­s and redcurrant­s)

A few sprigs of fresh mint

Put the gelatine for the mousse into a bowl of cold water and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, brush the oil all over the inside of a 3ltr glass bowl, then line with clingfilm, smoothing it out and pressing right to the edges. Arrange the slices of Swiss roll inside the bowl, so they cover the sides completely. Set aside.

In a medium pan, warm the custard over a low heat. Lift the gelatine out of the bowl and squeeze out any excess water, then add to the pan of warmed custard. Add the strawberry or raspberry sauce and continue to gently heat, stirring until the gelatine has completely dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl to stiff peaks. Whip the double cream in a separate bowl. When the custard mixture is cool, fold in the cream with a metal spoon, then fold in the egg whites, mixing carefully until you have a smooth mousse.

Fill the bottom of the spongeline­d bowl with the raspberrie­s, then spoon the mousse over and level. Cover with clingfilm and chill for at least 4 hours, and up to 24 hours. To serve, upturn the bowl onto a serving platter. Lift the bowl off, remove the clingfilm, then decorate with the fruit and mint.

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