Fruit in Season in December

Apricots

Bananas

Berries - including Red Currants

Cherries

Lychees

Mangoes

Melons - Honeydew. Rockmelon, Watermelon

Oranges - late Valencias

Passionfruit

Pineapple

Rambutan

Lindsey Shere’s Strawberries Al Formaggio

Lindsey Shere is a famous pastry chef from California. She used to work At Chez Panisse with Alice Waters. I’ve made many of her desserts over the years and they’ve all become favourites. This one actually comes via  a cook book called Ripe For Dessert by David Lebovitz who worked with Lindsey at Chez Panisse and a great pasty cook in his own right.

Strawberries Al Formaggio (Strawberries with Italian-style cheese) is so simple but you’ll get a real buzz when you unfold the cheese from the cheesecloth - fresh cheese at its most basic, a little like making your own ricotta. And don’t think strawberries are the only way to go - it’s delightful as an accompaniment to other summer fruit too!

Formaggio

Ingredients

• 1c pure cream
• 2T castor sugar
• 1/2T lemon juice
• 2T Marsala

Method

1. Whip the cream and the sugar till soft peaks form
2. Beat in the lemon juice and Marsala until cream is thick and holds its shape
3. Line a strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth and set the strainer over a bowl (make sure the bowl is deep enough so that the bottom of the strainer is not sitting in the drained liquid in the bowl)
4. Place the cream mixture onto the cheesecloth, drape with cloth and then plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days - the longer it drains the thicker the ‘cream cheese’

Strawberries

Ingredients

• 2 punnets of strawberries
• Honey - to taste - start with 1T and work your way up to desired sweetness

Method

1. Have strawberries at room temperature
2. Wash carefully
3. Hull the strawberries and cut into quarters
4. Toss with the honey and allow to sit for a while, stirring gently from time to time

Serves: the formaggio will serve 4 to 6 people - only you know how many strawberries you need

My Tips

• Cold kills the flavour of strawberries so prepare them and let them sit on the bench before serving
• I avoid a strong flavoured honey like leatherwood - it’s too overpowering with the ‘cheese’
• You can double the cheese mixture without too much trouble - bigger bowl etc - that’s all
• Serve in little glass bowls or stemmed goblets for a pretty finish - I use an ice cream scoop to place the cheese in the bowl
• I usually serve a lemon biscuit or biscotti

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