Annabel Langbein
A wealth of berry fruit and cherries are a formula for festive food happiness
Expectations always run high on the dessert front at Christmas. It’s probably the one time in the entire year when failure to deliver a sweet course might be cause for mutiny at the table. Meringues, pavlova, trifle, eaton mess, cheesecake, cherries, chocolate sauce, ice cream, jelly – we want it all.
Luckily, a wealth of early summer fruit makes it very easy to create all kinds of fabulous desserts here in New Zealand. Start with berries or cherries, add something cold and creamy and you have a formula for happiness.
Let’s start with strawberries. Hull them and slice them up. A good sprinkle of icing sugar allows them to release their juices, forming a gentle, sweet syrup. Adding a splash of orange liqueur, orange juice, creme de cassis or a half teaspoon of orange blossom water further brings out their gorgeous berry flavour.
A little caramel tanged with balsamic vinegar makes another great berry topping. Heat half a cup of sugar with a splash of water in a frying pan, then, once it starts to caramelise, add a teaspoon of balsamic. Pour over sliced strawberries or cherries and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving with icecream or whipped cream.
You can macerate cherries equally successfully. Raspberries and blackberries are softer and will release more juice, while blueberries, thanks to their protective skins, don’t give up much juice when you macerate them.
One of the great cheat treat Christmas desserts that always wins rave reviews requires nothing more than whipping 600ml chilled cream and folding in a cup of lemon curd (the bought variety is fine). Transfer to a pretty serving bowl or individual glasses and top with a big pile of berries to serve.
Take things a step further with a classic eaton mess. Here you need to puree a punnet of strawberries and slice up another punnet. Whip 600ml chilled cream to soft peaks with 1 Tbsp of icing sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Add the sliced strawberries, crumble in 8-10 meringues, fold it all together and swirl through the berry puree. Add raspberries, boysenberries, pitted cherries or blueberries as you please. There’s no such thing as too many berries!
A posset is another great dessert for people who don’t make dessert. It’s such a simple formula, easy enough to carry around in your head. Simply heat 600ml cream with three-quarters of a cup of sugar, stirring until it simmers (it bubbles up a lot so choose a decent-sized pot). Allow to simmer for three minutes then remove from the heat and mix in half a cup of strained lemon juice. Divide between 6-8 ramekins or small cups or glasses and chill until set (about four hours). Serve with fresh berries.
Wishing you all a very berry Christmas and here’s to sweet times ahead.