NEIL'S RECIPES: STRAWBERRIES AND CRÈME FRAÎCHE SORBET
“It’s wise not to play around too much with our brilliant strawberries. Keep them at room temperature and just a rinse under the tap before eating. With this cracking crème fraîche sorbet, they’re perfect on a hot day.”
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 to 2 punnets of strawberries, husks removed, gently washed and at room temperature
750g crème fraîche, I use Katy Rodger’s
375g unrefined caster sugar
325g water
50g glucose
Juice of half a lemon
A few sprigs of mint or sweet cicely
METHOD
To make the sorbet, start by making a stock syrup by bringing the water, sugar and glucose to the boil and simmering for 3 minutes. Allow to cool and retain a little for a coulis. Whisk in the crème fraîche then add lemon juice to taste. Chill and freeze in an ice-cream machine following the manufacturers instructions. Keep in the freezer until required.
To make a coulis, take a handful of strawberries and place into a liquidiser with a squeeze of lemon juice and a little of the stock syrup and blitz until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve into a squeezy bottle for ease of serving.
Before serving, ensure the berries are room temperature, as they taste so much better. Fill 4 bowls with halved strawberries and squeeze over the coulis then top with a ball of sorbet. Garnish with some fresh mint or sweet cicely.