Strawberry & rose mess
This take on an Eton mess is both a wow pudding and – given it can be prepared in advance and put together at the last minute – also a very relaxing one to serve friends.
sorbet only SERVES 6 PREP 30 mins plus churning
and freezing COOK 5 mins
FOR THE SORBET 40g golden caster sugar 40g icing sugar 30g liquid glucose 200g strawberries, hulled and
blitzed to a purée FOR THE MESS 160g mascarpone 270g crème fraîche 15g icing sugar, sifted 11/ tsp rosewater 40g golden caster sugar 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses 1 tsp sumac 200g strawberries, hulled and
chopped into 2cm pieces 60g meringues (shop-bought is fine),
broken into 2cm pieces seeds of 1 medium pomegranate 2 tsp dried rose petals (optional – I used Waitrose Cooks’ Ingredients rose petals)
1 To make the sorbet, put all the ingredients in a pan with 60ml water. Warm through over a low heat, stirring so that the sugar and glucose dissolve. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely, then churn in an ice cream maker for about 20 mins. It should be firm but not completely set. Spoon into a container and freeze until needed. 2 Put the mascarpone and crème fraîche in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the icing sugar and rosewater, and whisk just until combined. Keep in the fridge until required. Mix the caster sugar with 40ml boiling water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the molasses and sumac, stir to combine and set aside. 3 When ready to serve, divide the strawberries between four bowls or glasses, followed by the meringue,
‘This is such a pretty dessert, and easy to serve once you have all the component parts ready. It’s a good idea to pop your serving bowls in the freezer for 10 mins before you dish up.’
rosewater cream and half the sumac syrup. Top with pomegranate seeds and a dessertspoon of sorbet. Finish with the remaining syrup and rose petals (if using), and serve immediately.
YOTAM’S TIPS Dried rose petals are available in larger supermarkets and look lovely sprinkled on top, but don’t worry if you can’t get hold of any: the advantage of having a pudding with the word ‘mess’ in its title is that there is very little pressure to perform on the presentation front.
You’ll have a little bit of sorbet left over, which can be saved for another day – you could even buy good-quality strawberry sorbet and save yourself much of the work. The BBC Food & Farming Awards judges go on the road this month, visiting the cooks, shops and producers who have made it to the shortlist. (Find this at bbc.co.uk/ foodawards.)
‘I’m judging the You & Yours Best Retailer category,’ writes Good Food editor Gillian Carter. ‘With my fellow judge, food writer Roopa Gulati, I’m travelling as far as the Outer Hebrides to meet people who run exceptional food shops that offer so much to their local community. This category alone attracted over 300 entries, and it’s been heartening to hear wonderful stories about people who go the extra mile to supply good food to their customers.’ Sheila Dillon, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Food Programme and host of the Awards, says: ‘Going through the nominations, what’s cheered me yet again is the evidence of thousands of young people going into the quality food business.
‘A few years ago it could be written off as the Jamie Oliver effect – the appeal of the trendy chef. Now, it’s way beyond that, because wherever you look, young people are there starting new businesses.’
Winners will be announced at the BBC Food & Farming Awards ceremony in Bristol on Thursday 28 April. The finalists will feature in an hour-long edition of the Food Programme on Monday 2 May at 3pm on BBC Radio 4.