Nothing is more synonymous with Wimbledon than Strawberries & Cream – in fact it’s estimated that 24 tonnes will be consumed by people at SW19 when it starts in a fortnight’s time! So, to get us in the mood here’s a delicious recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Ice-Cream Sandwiches.
With milder temperatures, longer days, and more sunshine the British berry season is now in full swing, and naturally leading the way is the good old Strawberry.
Although strawberries were in plentiful supply throughout May the season will reach its peak during June and July, and if good weather continues from July you can expect to see British strawberries well into and up to the end of September.
Strawberries are a great accompaniment to summer, with perhaps the best thing being that they can be enjoyed when dining al fresco as part of a main course or dessert, straight from the punnet at a picnic, or just simply with cream or ice cream.
With this in mind it didn’t take us very long at all to come up with a recipe this week, especially with Wimbledon starting on Monday.
Strawberries and cream are the staple diet of near half a million people that will attend over the fortnight of the event. Last year over 24 tonnes of strawberries were sold – that equates to over 2 million individual berries – or if you want to be really bizarre 38 miles of them if they were laid end to end. Add to this more than 7,000 litres of fresh dairy cream.
However regular strawberries and cream wouldn’t be much of a recipe, so we’ve found one with a twist that’s guaranteed to keep you cool no matter if you’re getting hot under the collar with the action on court or just simply (and hopefully) the sun is beating down.
Strawberry Shortcake Ice-Cream Sandwiches Recipe
Produces 8 servings
Ingredients
- 250g punnet strawberries, hulled, halved
- 1 cup (220g) caster sugar, divided, plus more for rolling
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 500ml vanilla ice-cream
- 1 1/3 cups (200g) plain flour
- 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 115g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 Coles Brand Australian free range egg, lightly whisked
Instructions
- To make the strawberry ripple, in a small saucepan, combine the strawberries, 1/4 cup (55g) of sugar and the lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, mashing the berries with a potato masher or fork to break them up. Simmer the mixture, stirring frequently, for 18 mins or until it thickens. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until cold.
- Spoon one-third of the ice-cream into a small, shallow baking dish, forming a layer to cover the bottom of the dish (the layer doesn’t have to be perfect). Dollop half of the strawberry mixture over. Top with another layer of ice-cream. Repeat the layering. Cover and freeze for 1 hour or until firm.
- Meanwhile, make the biscuits. Preheat the oven to 175C. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
- In a small bowl, sift the flour, bicarbonate soda, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt flakes. In a large bowl, beat the butter and 3/4 cup (165g) of the sugar on medium speed for 3 mins or until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and beat for 1 min or until blended. Reduce the speed to low. Gradually add the flour until the dough comes together. Using a tablespoon, scoop the dough into 16 rounded mounds onto a baking tray and freeze for 5 mins or until the dough is firm enough to roll. Shape the dough into balls and roll in additional sugar to coat. Place the balls about 10cm apart on the prepared baking trays. Using the bottom of a glass, flatten the balls into 6cm rounds.
- Bake the biscuits for 8-10 mins or until the edges are lightly golden. Let the biscuits cool on the trays for 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To assemble the ice-cream sandwiches, spoon the strawberry ripple ice-cream onto the flat side of half of the biscuits. Place another biscuit on top of the ice-cream and gently press down until the ice-cream has spread to the edges. Return the sandwiches to the freezer for about 30 mins or until firm, and then serve.
For this, and more great recipes please head on over to taste.com.au