STRAWBERRIES & CREAM WITH ANNA HIGHAM

To bump up the flavour in any strawberry dish, the juice is my secret ingredient. I macerate strawberries in sugar and cook them at a low temperature to draw out their incredible juices. The elixir that is created is remarkable. I use it in the granita and ice cream recipes that follow and also in my summer pudding. Whenever you get your hands on some extraordinary strawberries, make this ice cream. Intensely strawberry in flavour with a silky, creamy texture.

Strawberries as ice cream, granita, dried and fresh

Recipe taken directly from Anna's new cookbook, The Last Bite

Serves 4

Ingredients

Strawberry juice and dried strawberries:

To bump up the flavour in any strawberry dish, the juice is my secret ingredient. I macerate strawberries in sugar and cook them at a low temperature to draw out their incredible juices. The elixir that is created is remarkable. I use it in the granita and ice cream recipes that follow and also in my summer pudding.

500g strawberries
20g panela sugar

Strawberry ice cream:

To bump up the flavour in any strawberry dish, the juice is my secret ingredient. I macerate strawberries in sugar and cook them at a low temperature to draw out their incredible juices. The elixir that is created is remarkable. I use it in the granita and ice cream recipes that follow and also in my summer pudding.

500g strawberries
20g panela sugar

To serve the completed dish:

250g strawberries, hulled
chewy dried strawberries
strawberry ice cream
150ml rich double cream
strawberry granita

Method

Strawberry juice and dried strawberries:

1. Hull the strawberries by removing the green top. Cut the hulled strawberries in half. Weigh the fruit and add the panela. Toss the fruit to coat it evenly in the sugar.

2. Put the strawberries into a large bowl, cover it tightly with cling film and set over a saucepan of barely simmering water for 30–40 minutes. The key is to cook them at a low temperature so that they keep their freshness. The strawberries are ready when they have released lots of deep scarlet liquid.

3. Drain them through a sieve to capture as much of the liquor as possible. Chill the strawberry juice.

4. The cooked strawberries won’t look or taste great by now. They can be restored by drying them so they gain a chewy, gummy quality. Lay them cut face up in a single layer on racks and dehydrate at 50–60°C (122–140°F) for 5–6 hours. A dehydrator is ideal but a very low oven works as well.

5. You don’t want them to be completely dry and crispy but they shouldn’t feel damp or wet to the touch. Flip them over after a couple of hours to make sure they dry on both sides. Store in an airtight container between layers of baking parchment.

Strawberry ice cream:

1. Put the strawberries and sugar in a blender and process until you have a smooth purée.

2. Whisk in the strawberry juice, condensed milk, cream and salt.

3. Pour the ice cream base into a container and chill for at least 4 hours.

4. Churn in an ice-cream machine then transfer to a container and leave to set in the freezer for an hour before serving.

Strawberry granita:

1. Taste the remaining strawberry juice to see if you are happy with the balance, adding a touch of sugar if it does not taste sweet enough. Pour it into a shallow container and freeze.

2. Every hour, scrape a fork through the freezing liquor so that you end up with large ice crystals rather than a fine snow.

3. Once it is completely frozen, scrape a fork through to break it up further. After many summers of making this granita, the sugar levels always come out perfectly if you follow the strawberry juice method on this page. If you have a refractometer and want to check, you are aiming for a sugar level of 12–15°Bx.

Serve the completed dish:

1. Put 4 shallow bowls or glasses in the freezer to chill at least 30 minutes before serving.

2. Cut the strawberries into halves or quarters depending on their size. You want each mouthful to have a piece of strawberry as well as all the other delicious things on the plate, so judge accordingly.

3. Cut the chewy dried strawberries in half and toss them with the fresh strawberries, 4-6 pieces per person.

4. Scoop a large quenelle of the ice cream onto the chilled plates, slightly left of centre. Make a deep indent in the ice cream with a clean, hot spoon. Fill the indent with the double cream and top with a generous spoon of the strawberry mix so that it tumbles over the ice cream into the centre of the plate. Sprinkle over a large spoonful of granita to cover most of the ice cream with glimpses of all the different treasures underneath.