Lemon Verbena Strawberry Fool Recipes

STRAWBERRY FOOL

Steps:

• In a blender, combine the strawberries (reserve a few slices for garnish), sugar and lemon juice. Puree until smooth. Push the berry mixture through a sieve and discard the seeds.
• Using an electric mixer, whip the cream just until stiff peaks form. Take a large spoonful of the whipped cream and stir it into the strawberry puree to lighten the mix. Fold the strawberry mixture gently into the whipped cream. Gently spoon the fool into a chilled serving bowl and garnish with the reserved strawberries and mint leaves. Refrigerate before serving, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

LEMON VERBENA POUND CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES

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.

FRESH FRUIT WITH LEMON VERBENA SIMPLE SYRUP

Steps:

• Simple syrup: combine the water and sugar in a small pan and bring to the boil.
• Boil mixture until it is reduced by half.
• Stir in the lemon verbena leaves. Set aside to allow verbena leaves to infuse and the mixture to cool completely.
• Salad: Prep the fruit and arrange on a large shallow platter.
• Once the simple syrup is cool, use a fine mesh strainer and drizzle the syrup all over the fruit.
• *Garnish fruit with a few fresh lemon verbena leaves. Or cover and chill until ready to serve.
• *Tip: fresh lemon verbena leaves wilt quickly. Garnish the fruit platter with freshly cut lemon verbena leaves [just] before serving.
• Yield is estimated.

LEMON & VERBENA TART WITH RASPBERRIES

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.

LEMON VERBENA-BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups, or line pan with paper muffin liners. Whisk together the egg, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth; set aside.
• Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon verbena into a food processor. Pulse until the lemon verbena has been finely chopped. Add the butter, and pulse quickly until finely chopped. Pour the flour mixture into a mixing bowl, and stir in the blueberries. Pour in the milk mixture, and stir until just moistened. Fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

LEMON VERBENA STRAWBERRY FOOL

Steps:

• Put verbena, sugar, and ¾ cup water into a small saucepan and boil over medium-high heat, undisturbed, until syrup is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Strain syrup into a medium bowl, discarding solids. Stir lemon juice and zest into syrup and set aside to let cool. Add strawberries, cover, and let berries macerate in a cool place for 2-4 hours. Drain berries, reserving syrup. Puree half the berries and half the syrup together. Transfer to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Whip cream to soft peaks. Add crème fraîche and 1 tablespoon of reserved syrup (save remaining syrup for another use) and whip until medium-stiff peaks form. Fold in half the berry sauce. Set aside 4 strawberry slices, then divide remaining berries and sauce between 4 chilled 4-oz. parfait glasses. Fill glasses with strawberry cream and garnish each with a strawberry.