Add a sweet touch to your Christmas spread with strawberries in wine with mascarpone cream
Ham, check. Seafood, check. Salads, check. Sweets – check? As Christmas edges ever closer, we’ve got the usual festive essentials down pat, but we haven’t had a chance to think about how we’re going to round out our feast. Luckily, Mimi Thorisson’s A Kitchen in France has some beautiful seasonal recipes using brightly coloured berries to sweeten up our Christmas indulgence. After moving to a small town in Médoc, Mimi discovered the wonderful ingredients available to her from the neighbouring woods and local farmers, and this recipe for strawberries in wine with mascarpone cream showcases some of the highlights of her summertime bounty.
INGREDIENTS
350–450 g strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered, depending on size
1 cup dry red wine, preferably a Bordeaux
¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup double cream
½ cup mascarpone
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out and reserved
2–3 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
TO MAKE
Put the strawberries in a large bowl and pour the wine over them. Sprinkle in the granulated sugar and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours, or up 12 hours.
Just before serving, in a medium bowl, whisk together the cream, mascarpone, vanilla seeds, and icing sugar to taste until stiff peaks form.
Spoon a generous amount of the whipped cream into each dessert bowl or ramekin. Top with the strawberries and wine sauce.
Serves six
This is an edited extract from A Kitchen in France by Mimi Thorisson, published by Hardie Grant Books. Available in stores nationally.
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