Wednesday 26 August 2009

Pimms Creams

A few days ago I bought Jo Pratt's new book In The Mood For Entertaining. This is a lovely looking book and the photos are gorgeous. There are so many recipes that I have ear marked to try. Although the book is about food for entertaining, a lot of the recipes look quite quick and simple to make and I will be making them just for my husband and I. There are some great menu ideas too and the midweek recipes look great for any time.

I was given a bottle of Pimms a couple of weeks ago. To me it really is a summer time drink and something to enjoy in the garden on a glorious afternoon. Sadly the weather hasn't been great and there have been few opportunities to enjoy Pimms in my garden so far this year. I don't tend to make desserts very often during the week. We tend to only have them at the weekend or if people are coming over for dinner. I thought I would break that trend and make a quick dessert to enjoy after dinner. As I was browsing through this book I came across a recipe for Pimms and strawberry creams. The picture made me drool and the recipe sounded delicious. As I have the Pimms in the cupboard I decided to give it a try. It also gave me a chance to use my new sundae glasses.

This recipe was so quick and easy to make and I'll definately be doing it again. I also think it would be nice with raspberries too. They were delicious and the Pimms was a lovely touch to the dessert. We both enjoyed them immensly and I'd definately recommend them.

Pimms and Strawberry Creams
Serves 4

  • 2 tablespoons caster sugar
  • 50ml Pimms
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 275ml double cream
  • 250g strawberries
  • 200ml strawberry sauce
  • 3 individual meringues
  • mint to garnish

Following the recipe in the book I decided to make my own strawberry sauce. This was really quick and easy to do but if you prefer you can buy ready made strawberry sauce. To make the sauce put 200g of strawberries into a blender or food processer. Add 50g of caster sugar and blend to a smooth puree. I made the sauce first.

Then in a large bowl stir the caster sugar into the Pimms until it has dissolved. Add the orange zest and cream and whisk until it just holds it shape. Take four glass dishes and randomly layer up the strawberries, Pimms cream, meringue and sauce to create a ripple effect. Garnish with the mint.