Solace for the lack of a proper summer (so far) is often happily found in the kitchen, not least for the wealth of produce that becomes abundant almost as soon as Wimbledon concludes, summer berries being the prime example. If you are lucky enough to be able to source yours from the berry-centric county of Angus on the east coast of Scotland, so much the better.
Raspberry shortcakes (pictured top)
These lovely shortcakes have been an eagerly anticipated treat of my mother’s for as many years as I can remember, and the recipe hails from her days as a domestic science student in Edinburgh. They are fragile, crisp, buttery, elegant and delicious, and peerless as a foil for Scottish raspberries. The dough is best made the night before, then chilled.
Prep 5 min
Cook 30 min
Chill Overnight
Makes 48 biscuits
190g unsalted butter, softened
75g caster sugar
Finely grated zest of ½ orange
145g plain flour
75g blanched and finely ground marcona almonds, or shop-bought ground almonds
20g toasted breadcrumbs
To serve
250ml thick double cream
A big bowl of fresh raspberries
A small bowl of caster sugar
Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until combined and pale. Pop in the orange zest and beat again. Add the flour, almonds and breadcrumbs, and mix thoroughly into a soft dough.
Cut out two 30cm x 25cm sheets of silicone paper. Divide the dough in two and put one piece at the bottom end of each sheet of paper. Using the paper to help you, roll up the dough into a sausage shape of roughly 3½cm in diameter, then wrap well and chill overnight. A few hours before you want to bake your shortcake, line a baking sheet (or two – you need to give the biscuits room to breathe) with baking paper. Unwrap each shortbread roll, then cut into 3mm-thick slices, arrange on the sheet (or sheets), then chill again until you want to bake.
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Bake the shortbreads for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown, then remove and leave to cool and become crisp.
To serve, whip the double cream to a soft peak. Apply a comma of cream to each plate and sit a shortcake atop. Put a generous spoonful of cream on top of the shortbread, heap with some berries and sprinkle a pinch of sugar over the top. Apply another wee spoonful cream on the berries, and lay another shortcake on it. A little more cream, a few more raspberries, another little dod of cream, then top with a third shortcake and serve.
Gooseberry bellini
A charming take on the masterpiece created at Harry’s Bar in Venice. The fruit is best cooked the night before and refrigerated.
Prep 5 min
Cook 20 min
Chill Overnight
Serves 3-4
500g gooseberries
140g caster sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 bottle chilled prosecco
Top and tail the gooseberries, then tip them into a wide pot and mix with the sugar. Put the pot on a high heat and stir until the gooseberries burst. Add the lemon juice, then pour the gooseberry mix into a blender and blitz smooth. Taste, adding more lemon or sugar, if required, depending on the tartness of the fruit – you don’t want the gooseberries to be overly sweet or, conversely, overly sour. Once it’s to your liking, render the puree even smoother by passing it through a fine sieve. Put the puree in a suitable container, seal and chill for at least three hours and ideally overnight.
A classic bellini is 125ml fruit puree with 250ml prosecco. Put the puree in the bottom of a pretty flute, or similar, then slowly pour the bubbles on top, stirring gently but thoroughly.
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Jeremy Lee is chef/co-owner of Quo Vadis, London W1, and author of Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many, published by HarperCollins at £30. To order a copy for £26.40, go to guardianbookshop.com
