Strawberries and Cream Jelly and Custard

A dessert perfect for the wimbledon finals weekend

Hi Everyone. Hello. Happy Friday.

I am writing this on a train journey back to London, so apologies in advance for any typos or errant punctuation, my laptop is manically bouncing around the tiny table I’m working on.

Have you been watching Wimbledon? Even though watching sport doesn’t really excite me, I am dating a big tennis fan, so watching Wimbledon has become a yearly ritual, and of course I join in by making a variety of dishes that revolve around strawberries and cream; because what is Wimbledon without strawberries and cream, nothing. I’ve been incredibly lucky to attend finals weekend a couple times over the last few years and, even for a sport dodger like myself, it’s an incredibly fun day, it is very easy to become swept up in the atmosphere, especially with a glass of pimms in hand. This year, I gave my mens final ticket to my boyfriends mother (that must win me at least a years son-in-law points right?) so I will be watching from home. My consolation prize is this fabulous dessert, an homage to strawberries and cream but in a fancier wrapping, a dessert worthy of any dinner party this summer.

The dessert is made up of three elements, a strawberry and Pimms jelly, a creamy vanilla custard, and mint macerated strawberries. Strawberries and cream is such a simple combo I didn’t want to overpower either element with lots of sugar or a barrage of other flavours so, it’s relatively low on sugar and is actually quite refreshing (or so said the guinea pigs I made this dessert for earlier on in the week).

To make the jelly I thought it would be useful to clear up some confusion on the gelatine front. Firstly, this recipe is made with sheet gelatine. I use the sheet variety because it’s easier to use, it makes for a clearer finished product and it has always been the most widely available form of gelatine sold in Europe. There is, however, a lot on confusion around the topic. When you read a recipe and it calls for 5 sheets of gelatine but nothing else, is this confusing? Is it wrong? Shouldn’t the gelatine be listed with grams or with the grade of gelatine needed? Despite the confusion it’s actually a little easier than you might think. Sheet gelatine comes in a variety of grades; titanium, bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Each of these grades has a different strength, known as its bloom, this simply means each grade sets a different amount of liquid. This would mean, in theory, you need more titanium gelatine than platinum gelatine to set the same amount of liquid. So why don’t I specify what sheet gelatine I use? Because it actually doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because sheets of gelatine are standardised, they all set the same amount of liquid. A sheet of titanium gelatine weighs more than a sheet of platinum. This is done so whatever type of sheet gelatine you use they set the same amount of liquid. Gram for gram they set different amounts of liquid but sheet by sheet they set the same. Simple. So if you see a recipe that just lists the gelatine by the amount of sheets know that you are happy to use whatever style of sheet gelatine you can get your hands on. The difference between the different grades is the clarity they provide. Using platinum gelatine will give the clearest jelly and titanium the cloudiest. When it comes to converting sheet gelatine to powdered, the internet has a LOT to say, much of it confusing and much of contradictory. Whilst I avoid using powdered gelatine if I do need to convert between types this is the ratio I use;1 sheet of gelatine is equal to 3g (1 tsp) of powdered gelatine and vice versa.

For the custard element I wanted a really creamy vanilla heavy flavour. I used single cream in the creme anglaise, instead of milk, and added just a small amount of white chocolate to the finished custard. The chocolate adds a little extra body to the custard, without using a starch, and really helps up the creamy factor. For the strawberries I wanted to play on the mint you get in a glass of Pimms; I added a very small amount of sugar and some finely chopped mint and allowed the strawberries to macerate for a couple hours. This maceration process draws out the natural juices from the fruit creating a really juicy syrup that absorbs the mint flavour. Together the dish became, possibly, my favourite take on strawberries and cream that I have made so far. The flavour alone is more than enough to recommend the dish, but it’s also a wonderful prepare ahead affair; the jelly can be made and refrigerated for a few days, the custard will keep for a couple days in the fridge and the macerated strawberries can be prepared a couple hours before they are needed, a perfect dessert when the tennis demands your attention and you want to spend as little time possible in the kitchen.

Strawberries and Cream Jelly and Custard
Serves 4

Strawberry Pimms Jelly

450g strawberries

75g caster sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

100ml Pimms

50ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

50ml orange juice

3 1/2 sheets gelatine

Vanilla Creme Anglaise

300ml single cream

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

3 large egg yolks

30g caster sugar

50g white chocolate, finely chopped

Mint Macerated Strawberries

250g strawberries, quartered

15g caster sugar

5 mint leaves, finely sliced

The jelly starts with an extended macerating process. Hull the strawberries and chop them into small pieces. Add them to a bowl along with the sugar and vanilla and stir briefly. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight, or at least for four hours.

The following day scrape everything from the bowl into a small saucepan and place over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook the strawberry mixture for 5 minutes until the fruit is starting to break down. Pour the mixture into a nut milk bag or a fine mesh sieve lined with muslin/cheesecloth and suspend over a bowl and allow gravity to do its job. You want to extract AS MUCH liquid as you can from this mixture; to do this leave the fruit for at least an hour, after this time the fruit will have cooled down so you can then squeeze as much juice from the fruit as possible. If you have neither a nut milk bag or muslin/cheesecloth you can just pour the fruit directly into the  sieve and gently press on the back on the fruit once its cooled, but try not to push any of the pulp through, you want a smooth strawberry syrup. You should end up with 300ml liquid. Add the pimms, lemon juice and orange juice to the syrup and pour back into the saucepan to bring to a simmer. Meanwhile soak the gelatine in a bowl of ice cold water. Once the syrup is at a simmer turn off the heat; remove the gelatine from the water and squeeze off any excess liquid. Add the gelatine to the strawberry mixture and stir to combine. Divide the jelly mixture between 4 dariole moulds and transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours, until the jelly is fully set. At this point the jelly can be refrigerated for at least three days; just make sure to cover the jellies if refrigerating to serve on a later day, you don’t want the jelly to absorb any other aromas from the fridge.

For the custard element we are making a classic creme anglaise with one addition, a touch of white chocolate to add a little body. Add the cream and vanilla to a small saucepan and place over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the yolks and sugar to a large bowl and whisk until the sugar has dissolved and the yolks are light and pale. Once the cream has come to temperature, pour half of it over the yolk mixture, whisking the yolks as your pour to prevent them from scrambling. Pour the custard back into the pan and place over a low heat. Stir constantly with a heatproof spatula, or wooden spoon, until the custard thickens just enough to coat the back of the spoon. You can also use a thermometer, if you have one; the custard is cooked when it reaches between 75-80C. Pour the custard into a bowl and add the chocolate, stirring until melted and smooth. Press a sheet of clingfilm onto the surface of the custard and refrigerate until needed.

To make the mint strawberries add the quartered berries, sugar and mint leaves to a small bowl and stir together briefly to combine. Cover and refrigerate for a couple hours to allow the fruit to macerate and for a natural syrup to form.

To serve the dessert first unsold the custard. To do this dip the dariole moulds into hot water for just a couple seconds. Invert the jellies onto serving plates and spoon some of the strawberries around the jelly. Finish by pouring the custard generously over the jelly.