Creamy lemon posset with juicy Irish strawberries and crunchy lemon polenta biscuits on the side makes an elegant
and summery dessert, writes
DOMINI KEMP
EVERY YEAR I seem to comment on how great the weather is, and every year, people look at me wondering if I landed on my head on my way in to work. Any day that you can go outside without getting lashed on registers as a great day, weather-wise, with me. This may seem overly optimistic – or (ahem) sunny side up – but as long as you can go outside for a walk, then it’s a perfectly good day, as far as I’m concerned.
However, most people, when making chit chat about the weather, declare it to be a dreadful summer, chortling away and finishing up with that killer punch line: “What summer!”
That’s when I butt in: “It’s been amazing! We’ve had a brilliant summer,” after which they turn on me with that look. The aforementioned, “Have you had a bump to your head? Are you feeling alright?” look.
Then we go through each month, starting with April and working our way to the current date. The only concession I seem to get is that April was okay. Or was it May? Then I make a few rebuttals, such as yes, there were some arctic days in June, but overall, it’s been pretty good. After all, what can you expect? We’re not in the Mediterranean and our climate is classified as a temperate oceanic climate. And just when they think they’ve beaten me to a pulp, I trot out my “strawberry” theory.
Strawberries need lots of sunny, dry weather to grow and ripen and this year Irish strawberry farmers have had a bumper crop, which is why they’re abundant and really delicious. I have always viewed strawberries as a bit of a treat, not something to demolish every day, like apples and oranges. But at the moment the price is really right, so I’d urge everyone to go mad with them. Especially when you read about their nutritional benefits. They’re full of vitamin C, a great ant-inflammatory and anti-oxidant, and other nutrients make them a power-house of goodness.
This year, I haven’t felt the urge to sprinkle them with sugar, so good have they been tasting. I know it’s a cliche, but strawberries mashed up with meringues, raspberries, lightly whipped cream with some vanilla extract and a little icing sugar, is just so lovely to eat.
As is this lemon posset with polenta biscuits. Basically any combination of strawberries with something creamy, plus a bit of crunch equals summer on a plate. But for everyday enjoyment, some yoghurt with mashed strawberries and, if you must, a squeeze of agave syrup (which you’ll find in baking aisles in supermarkets), and something crunchy, such as Paddy’s O’Granola, is a great breakfast or afternoon snack.
Lemon posset
Serves 4-6
Juice and zest of 4 lemons
500ml double cream
Few basil leaves
125g caster sugar
500g strawberries
Another 2 tbsp caster sugar
Black pepper
Put the lemon juice in a heatproof bowl. Heat the lemon zest, double cream, basil leaves and the 125g of sugar in a non-stick saucepan until the cream just starts to boil. Remove from the heat and then slowly add the cream to the lemon juice and whisk slowly as the mixture starts to thicken.
Pass it through a sieve, if you want, or just pick out the basil leaves. Allow it to cool down and then pour it into ramekins or little jars and chill for at least three hours, until fairly set.
When you are ready to serve, hull the strawberries, lightly crush or chop them up, and sprinkle with the two tablespoons of caster sugar and some black pepper. Spoon some on top of the posset or else serve separately and let people help themselves. Serve with the biscuits.
Lemon and polenta biscuits
Makes approximately 25
75g butter
150g polenta
75g plain flour
50g caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Extra caster sugar for dusting
Process the butter, polenta, flour, caster sugar and lemon zest together in a food processor, until it resembles sandy breadcrumbs. Add the egg and vanilla extract and it should come together to form a dough. If it doesn’t, add a splash of cream or water. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill it.
When you are ready to bake the biscuits, pre-heat an oven to 190 degrees/gas mark five. Have two baking trays ready and lined with parchment paper. Break off small pieces of the cookie dough and roll into balls, about the size of small ping pong balls. Roll out very lightly using some flour and some caster sugar until they flatten down. You need to be able to transfer them on to the baking sheets, but it is best to do this with a non-stick fish slice.
Bake for 15 minutes or so, but do keep an eye on them. They will eventually go golden brown, but they are nicer when they are cooked through but retain their lovely yellow colour, so if necessary, turn down the oven and cook for a bit longer. It all depends how thick they end up after rolling out.
Allow them to cool on a wire rack and serve with the posset and macerated strawberries.
See also www.itsa.ie