Berries With Clotted Cream Food

BERRIES WITH CLOTTED CREAM

Steps:

• Place the raspberries, strawberries and blueberries in a large bowl. Add the icing sugar and leave to marinade for up to an hour until the fruits have softened and the juice has oozed out. Lightly mash the fruits with a fork.
• Spoon all but 4 tbsp of the clotted cream in a large bowl and add the custard. Fold gently together.
• Spoon some of the fruits in the bottom of 4 glasses top with some of the clotted cream custard, top with some more fruit and continue with another layer of clotted cream custard. Continue with the layers finishing with a layer of fruit. The layers will not be defined. Top with the reserved clotted cream.
• Chill for 30 minutes and serve.

OAT CAKE WITH WARM MIXED BERRY COMPOTE AND CLOTTED CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch baking pan.
• Place oats in a bowl, pour the boiling water over and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain well.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt on waxed paper. Place butter and sugars in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and mix until smooth. Add the soaked oats and mix until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake in the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 35 to 40 minutes. Place on a baking rack and let cool for 40 minutes; this cake is best served warm. Serve the cake topped with some of the warm berry compote and a large dollop of clotted cream.
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice plus 2 teaspoons
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 vanilla bean, split
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 cup fresh blackberries
• 2 cups fresh raspberries
• For the compote: Dissolve the cornstarch in the 2 teaspoons orange juice. Set aside. Combine the 1 1/2 cups orange juice, the honey and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, let cook for 2 minutes or until the honey has completely dissolved. Add the blueberries and blackberries and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cornstarch and cook until the mixture thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and fold in the raspberries. Discard the vanilla bean. Serve warm.
• Yield: 6 to 8 servings

STRAWBERRIES FILLED WITH "CLOTTED" CREAM

Steps:

• Combine the mascarpone, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract and vanilla seeds in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.
• Stand the strawberries upright on a platter. If the bottoms are too wobbly to stand, slice off the green stems. With a small sharp knife, cut an "X" in each strawberry, cutting almost to the bottom. (The cut should be such that the strawberry will open up but not fall apart.) With your fingertips, gently spread each strawberry apart to make "petals."
• With a spoon, carefully fill each strawberry with a dollop of cream. Serve immediately.

FRESH BERRIES WITH RICOTTA CREAM

Steps:

• Purée strawberries with apple juice in a blender until smooth. Spoon equal amounts of berry sauce into 4 cocktail or parfait glasses. Combine ricotta cream ingredients in a blender or food processor. Process until mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Spoon 1/4 of the ricotta cream into each glass and top with 1/4 cup strawberry slices. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish each with a mint sprig and an edible flower, if desired, before serving.