Lemon Verbena Strawberry Fool Recipes

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. and butter and flour a 1-quart kugelhopf pan, knocking out excess flour.
• In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, verbena (or zest), and zest. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in vanilla. Beat in half of flour mixture. Beat in milk and lemon juice and beat in remaining flour mixture until just combined.
• Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven 45 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes and invert onto rack to cool completely.
• Make glaze while cake is cooling:
• In a small bowl whisk confectioners's sugar, a little at a time, into lemon juice until smooth and thick.
• When cake is completely cooled, drizzle glaze over cake and let it drip down sides. Cake may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Serve cake at room temperature with strawberries.

Steps:

• In a food processor, grind the lemon verbena leaves and sugar together in a food processor until the mixture turns into a bright green paste, about 30 seconds. Stop to scrape down the sides as necessary. Add the lemon juice and process for 15 seconds longer, then add the water. Strain the resulting liquid through a fine sieve to remove any bits of leaf. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's direction.

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine the strawberries, lemon juice and sugar. Cook over medium heat until the strawberries begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Place the strawberry mixture in a food processor and process until smooth. Remove the mixture from the food processor and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Mix in the sliced strawberries and place in the refrigerator. Refrigerate until very cold. With an electric mixer, whip the cream. In parfait glasses, layer the strawberries and whipped cream, starting and ending with the whipped cream. Place in the refrigerate and chill for 4 hours.
• Remove the zest of the lemons using a vegetable peeler. Be careful not to get any of the white pith. Julienne the zest. Blanch the julienned zest in boiling water for 5 minutes to remove any bitterness. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of sugar and the water. Bring to a boil. Add the blanched zest to the sugar syrup. Remove the sugar syrup from the heat and let the zest steep for 10 minutes. Remove the zest from the syrup and lay out on a rack. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
• Top the parfaits with some of the candied lemon zest.

Steps:

• To make the pastry, beat the butter, half the yolk, sugar and a pinch of salt together with an electric whisk, then gradually whisk in the milk. Tip in the flour and rub together with your fingertips until it just starts to come together. Squash the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 1 hr. Can be made up to three days ahead.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to the thickness of a £1 coin. Use it to line a loose-bottomed 23cm tart tin, leaving the excess hanging over the sides, then prick the base all over with a fork. Return to the fridge, or better still the freezer, and leave to rest for another 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Line the tart with baking parchment and fill with ceramic baking beans, rice or dried pulses. Place on a baking tray and bake for 10 mins, then remove from the oven. Discard the paper and bake for another 20 mins. Brush the cooked pastry with the remaining half of the egg yolk, then return to the oven for 5-10 mins until golden. Lift the pastry out onto a cooling rack, and trim the overhang. Once cooled, put the case on the baking tray.
• Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the lemon verbena and cream in a pan, bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and leave to cool. Whizz the cream and leaves together using a hand blender, then pass through a fine sieve to remove any strands of verbena leaf. Whisk the cream with the rest of the filling ingredients, then pour into the pastry case. Put in the oven, making sure not to spill. Bake for 30-35 mins until just set with a slight wobble. Allow to cool. Dust with icing sugar and sprinkle over the zest. Serve the tart in slices with raspberries.

Steps:

• Hull strawberries, then wash them and chop into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Toss with half the sugar, and wait 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they give up their juices.
• Place half the strawberries and all the juice in a blender, and puree. Pour puree back in bowl with chopped strawberries.
• Whip the cream with remaining sugar and vanilla until cream is stiff and holds peaks easily. Fold berries and cream together, and serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to two hours.