DAVID WOODS: Satisfy a craving for sweet things with this dessert

Well, if you want to recapture those memories, but perhaps in a more adult fashion, try this dessert on our specials menu.

The jelly is a burst of fresh fruits with a firm texture and the marshmallow has a layer of raspberries running through. We serve it with homemade honeycomb and clotted cream, but good quality vanilla ice-cream will do. The marshmallows are perfect on their own, perhaps with after dinner coffee or dipped into a chocolate fondue.

I am sure children will love this dessert too…but you might not want to share.

To book a table at La Brasserie, Sofitel’s 2 AA rosette restaurant, call 01293 567070 or email [email protected].

Summer Berry Terrine with Raspberry Marshmallows

For the fruit terrine:

450g mixed berry fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries

50g caster sugar

100ml water

Juice and zest of half a lemon

3 gelatine leaves

For the marshmallow:

225g granulated sugar

1 dessert spoon glucose

100ml water

5 sheets of gelatine

1 large egg white

Oil for greasing

60g fresh raspberries, dusted in icing sugar and cornflour

Icing sugar and a little cornflour for dusting

Method

First make the fruit terrine.

Hull, then halve or quarter the strawberries and halve the raspberries. Put the fruit into a saucepan with sugar, water, lemon juice and zest. Bring to the boil, then immediately remove from the heat.

Soak the gelatine sheets in water until soft and stir into the hot fruit until dissolved.

Pour into a square dish. Cool, then leave to set in the fridge for at least six hours.

To make the marshmallow: put the sugar, glucose and water in a clean, preferably copper saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook until it reaches 125oC/255oF or soft ball on a sugar thermometer.

Meanwhile, soak the gelatine in 250ml cold water.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff.

When the syrup is up to temperature, lift the gelatine leaves out of the water and stir into the sugar syrup.

Continue to beat the egg white while pouring in the hot syrup. Continue whisking for about 5-10 minutes until the mixture is stiff and thick.

Lightly oil a shallow 15x10cm baking tray, dust with sieved icing sugar and cornflour and spoon half the mixture over the base. Smooth with a wet knife.

Break the raspberries in half and spread over the marshmallow. Then top with the remaining marshmallow. Leave in the fridge to set for at least two hours.

Dust a work surface with more icing sugar and cornflour. Loosen the marshmallow around the sides of the tin and turn out. Cut into squares and dust in the sugar and cornflour. Leave to dry a little on a wire rack before packing in an airtight box. It will keep for two weeks. To serve, cut the fruit terrine into oblongs and serve with cubes of raspberry marshmallow and a scoop of clotted cream or vanilla ice-cream.

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