Vanilla cream with red berries

Home-made vanilla cream with red berries | H is for Home

Have you been watching Wimbledon? Haven’t the Brits been doing well this year? Scrap that – I’ve just watched Murray get knocked out!

Making vanilla cream | H is for Home

Nothing says Wimbledon fortnight more than strawberries & cream. I’ve adapted a Nigel Slater recipe to create a little twist on the classic – vanilla cream with red berries.

Strawberries and grenadine | H is for Home

I planned on using our home and allotment-grown strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants, but we didn’t have a large enough quantity that were ripe all at the same time. I made a quick trip to the supermarket for a punnet of strawberries to bulk up our rations.

Home-made vanilla cream with red berries | H is for Home

Slater used orange juice and passion fruits in the original recipe. However, I used a few glugs from a bottle of grenadine syrup I’ve had in the store cupboard for ages. What a fantastic, last-minute idea – it worked brilliantly, with the strawberries especially. From this day forward, I’ll always team my fresh strawberries with it!

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Home-made vanilla cream with red berries | H is for Home

Vanilla cream with red berries

Course Dessert
Cuisine British

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g/9oz crème fraîche
  • 250 g/9oz mascarpone
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 800 g/28oz mixture of red berries I used strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants
  • 50 ml/1 ¾ fl oz grenadine syrup
  • sprig of mint to garnish

Instructions
 

  • Place a sieve or small colander over a mixing bowl and line it with a piece of muslin (I used a jelly bag)
  • Spoon the crème fraîche and fromage frais into a mixing bowl
  • Split the vanilla pod in half lengthways with a sharp knife, open it flat and scrape out the dark, sticky seeds. Fold the seeds through the crème fraîche/fromage frais mixture and spoon it into the muslin-lined sieve
  • Cover the sieve/colander and its under-bowl with cling film (Saran wrap) and leave in the fridge overnight, during which time the vanilla cream will thicken to cheesecake-like texture
  • Hull & slice the berries (not redcurrants if using), put them into a mixing bowl, pour over the grenadine syrup. Mix gently to cover all the fruit with the liquid, cover with cling film and refrigerate for about an hour
  • Upturn the sieve/colander on to a plate and allow the muslin and cream to slide out
  • Carefully peel away the muslin
  • Spoon the marinated red berries and liquid around the vanilla cream
  • Drizzle an extra capful or two of grenadine syrup over the top of the vanilla cream
  • Serve!
Vanilla cream with red berries
Keyword raspberries, redcurrants, strawberries, vanilla

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