Strawberries and cream with vanilla shortbread

Name: Strawberries and cream with vanilla shortbread
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 350g hulled ripe strawberries, washed, dried and cut in half (or quarters if large); 160g double cream

Neil Perry

October 26, 2012

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:4

You could serve the strawberries (or any fruit) in martini glasses. Macerate the fruit for 30 minutes with a splash of Cointreau, then layer with the cream and crumbled shortbread.

Ingredients

350g hulled ripe strawberries, washed, dried and cut in half (or quarters if large)
160g double cream

Vanilla shortbread

250g butter, chopped
seeds of 1 vanilla bean
⅓ cup caster sugar
2¼ cups plain flour, sifted
¼ cup rice flour, sifted

Method

Preheat the oven to 150°C.
To make the shortbread, beat the butter, vanilla seeds and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Stir in the sifted flours and press mixture together to form a firm dough.
Knead dough gently on a floured surface until smooth. (Don't over-knead it.) Divide the dough in half.
Roll out both halves of dough to approximately 23cm rounds. Press an upturned 22cm flan-tin ring into the dough to cut out a round. Cut each round into 12 wedges.
Place the wedges on lightly greased oven trays, about 3cm apart. Bake for about 25 minutes or until they become a light sandy colour. Leave on the trays for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
To serve, divide strawberries among 4 dishes. Top with a generous dollop of double cream and serve with shortbread wedges.
HOT TIP
For something different, replace half of the double cream with mascarpone and combine gently.