Summer fruit recipes clafoutis and strawberry sorbet

Or baskets of plump, shiny garnet cherries, with satiny green stalks? Even without access to such delights, summer berry fruits are widely available and now is the time to enjoy them.

Eat strawberries as they come, or piled in a pre-baked pie shell or on a sponge base.

Frances shares multiple ways of serving up strawberries (Image: Frances Bissell)

Strawberries are served in France with crème fraîche, or in red wine. In America strawberry shortcake is a favourite dessert, but I do not think their cooked strawberry pies, crisps and cobblers are as successful, as the fruit collapses when cooked and the perfume lost.

In Italy a ricotta-based tart is the perfect foil for the luscious fruit. Strawberry cheesecake and Eton Mess are two more versions of the fruit with a creamy partner.

Indeed, a bowl of cream, mascarpone or thick plain yoghurt, and one of light muscovado sugar are the perfect accompaniments for freshly picked, un-hulled strawberries; this makes a delightfully easy ending to a summer lunch or dinner.

But if your strawberries need a little more assistance, I would simply slice them and pour on boiled, then cooled red wine, sweetened with sugar and spiced with orange zest and cinnamon.

A summer pudding is a classic way to serve berries (Image: Frances Bissell)

This is especially good with vanilla ice cream and meringues. A grinding of black pepper and a sprinkling of sherry vinegar is the Spanish treatment for strawberries, while in Italy balsamic vinegar is used to anoint the fruit.

Also use strawberries for delicious ice-creams and sorbets, and to make jam. Remember, however, that they are very low in pectin, and it will not set unless you add lemon juice or some other acidic fruit. I once made strawberry jam with left-over rosé wine, which provided the requisite acidity, as well as additional colour and flavour to the jam.

Strawberry-flavoured vinegars and liqueurs can be made by infusing your chosen liquid with plenty of strawberries and keeping it in a dark place for several weeks.

I use strawberries and balsamico to make an unusual vinaigrette, which is an excellent partner for summer cold cuts, but try it too with cold poached salmon. A salad of sliced smoked chicken, quail, or cooked ham, interleaved with slices of ripe avocado is especially good with this dressing.

Salad Elona is a fresh combination of cucumber mint and strawberries (Image: Frances Bissell)

Consider strawberries too as a salad ingredient. One of my favourites is Salad Elona, devised  in the 1930s by Ambrose Heath and popularised in the 1960s by Harold Wilshaw who included it in his contribution to the famous Reader’s Digest Cookery Year.

It is very simple, attractive and versatile; serve it as an accompaniment to grilled or smoked fish or chicken or with goat’s cheese or ricotta.

To make it, slice strawberries and cucumber and interleave them on a flat plate. Just before serving add freshly ground black pepper, a sprinkle of sea salt and a balsamic or sherry vinegar dressing. Strawberries and avocado also make for a good combination.

While there is no doubt that the best way to eat cherries is raw, they, too, can be turned into exquisite desserts; cherry sorbet and cherry ice cream are a summer delight, and, especially if it is cooler than we would like, a Sunday lunch treat of cherry and almond crumble is just the thing. Or make a chocolate cake and create your own version of Black Forest gateau with cherries and plenty of whipped cream.

And I’m always ready to make clafoutis, at its traditional best with cherries.

Lemon grass partnered with home-grown lemon flavoured herbs makes a delightful syrup to accompany summer fruit. Peaches and nectarines from Italy and Spain like this syrup as well as berry fruits. It is perfect with fully ripe strawberries or cherries and will liven up sometimes dull blueberries. I also use this when making fruit fools. It is almost as good as elderflower syrup in a gooseberry fool.

Put two split lemon grass stalks, a generous handful each of lemon balm and verbena, 500 g sugar and 750 ml water in a saucepan. Heat until the sugar has dissolved, then boil until reduced by a third. Remove from the heat and steep for several hours or overnight. Prepare the chosen fruit as appropriate (stoning and slicing the tree fruit, hulling the strawberries and slicing if large) and put in a bowl. Grate some lemon zest over the fruit and squeeze a little of the juice over the fruit. Stir in enough syrup to flavour it, then store the rest in the refrigerator. Use it over ice cream or to make a refreshing drink with sparkling water, some lemon juice and a slice of lemon.

It can be used to make a very easy strawberry sorbet.

Strawberries can be served in different ways (Image: Frances Bissell)

Strawberry sorbet

500 g ripe strawberries

100 - 150 ml lemon herb syrup, as above - well-chilled

Method:

Rinse and hull the strawberries. Pat them dry and arrange separately on a plate or tray that will go in the freezer. Freeze for about 6 hours, or overnight if that is easier. Put the frozen strawberries in a food processor with a spoonful or two of syrup.

Process until smooth, gradually adding  just enough syrup to keep the mixture quite thick. You can serve it right away as it is. Or if you need to freeze it, remember to remove the sorbet from the freezer 10 minutes or so before serving.

Cook's note: this method can also be used for blueberries and works especially well with ripe and juicy pear wedges, frozen until solid.

A cherry clafoutis (Image: Frances Bissell)

Clafoutis (Serves 4 - 6)

500 g cherries

50 g unsalted butter

100 g plain flour

200 ml milk

3 organic eggs

50 g light muscovado sugar

Method:

Rinse the cherries and stone them if you wish. (If not, remind your guests to watch out for the stones) Use half the butter to grease a quiche dish or individual dishes, and arrange the cherries on the bottom. Dot the top with the rest of the butter.

Make a thick batter with the remaining ingredients, and pour over the fruit. Allow to stand for 15 minutes, and then bake for about 50 minutes in the middle of a preheated oven at 180 C, gas mark 4. Dust with icing sugar, and serve hot, warm, or cold; cream or ice cream as you will.

Strawberry and balsamic vinaigrette (Serves 8)

300 g ripe strawberries, rinsed and hulled

2 to 3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Coarse sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Fresh basil

Method:

Put the strawberries in a blender goblet with the water, blend and sieve. Whisk in the vinegar and oil, and then season to taste. I find basil exceptionally good with strawberries, and like to shred some into the vinaigrette before using it.

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