Nothing captures British summer quite like ripe strawberries. Paired with whipped mascarpone, a splash of Pimms and fragrant basil, they become an effortlessly elegant dessert with a fresh, herbaceous difference. Better still, most of the components can be made in advance, leaving you free to soak up the occasion. Making your own crumpets is a lot easier than you might think, and the Stellar Shallow Casserole is your perfect companion.
Serves: 8
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Ingredients:
For the crumpets:
- 150ml buttermilk, room temperature
- 150ml warm water
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 7g instant yeast
- 200g strong white bread flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp butter
For the strawberries:
- 300g British strawberries, hulled and halved
- 40g caster sugar
- 100ml Pimms
- ½ orange, juice and zest
- 1 vanilla pods, halved lengthways
- 3 sprigs fresh basil
For the whipped mascarpone:
- 200g mascarpone, room temperature
- 150ml double cream
- 15g icing sugar
- 15g fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
Method:
- Mix the buttermilk, warm water, caster sugar and yeast together, then leave for 10 minutes until frothy.
- Meanwhile, combine the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture, stirring until smooth. Add the salt, mix well, then cover and leave to prove at room temperature for 1 hour. Alternatively, chill for at least 2 hours for a slower fermentation and a deeper, slightly sour flavour
- To make the strawberries, add the strawberries, sugar, Pimms and half the vanilla pod to the Stellar Chef Pan. Using a vegetable peeler, remove a few strips of orange zest and add them to the pan along with the orange juice (approximately 30ml). Bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat, then reduce to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. The strawberries should be tender but still holding their shape, and the liquid reduced by half. Leave to cool completely; the syrup will continue to thicken as it cools
- Heat the Stellar Shallow Casserole over a medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Add ½ tbsp butter and swirl to coat the base. Butter the insides of 8.5cm crumpet rings with the remaining butter and place them in the pan. Fill each ring two-thirds full with batter, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, increase the heat slightly and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the tops have set, the characteristic bubbles have formed and the crumpets are coming away from the rings. Keep the heat steady; too high and the bases will colour before the centres are cooked; too low and there won't be enough steam to create the bubbles. Turn the crumpets over and cook for a further 3–4 minutes. Remove the rings with tongs and transfer the crumpets to a wire rack to cool.
- When you’re ready to serve, whisk the mascarpone and double cream together in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment for around 2 minutes, until smooth with soft peaks. Scrape the seeds from the remaining half of the vanilla pod and fold them into the cream with the sifted icing sugar, chopped basil and a pinch of salt.
- To serve, spread each crumpet generously with the whipped mascarpone and spoon over the strawberries and their syrup. Finish with a few fresh basil leaves and, if you like, a fine grating of orange zest.
