Name: Marco Pierre White’s strawberry shortbread
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 42 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 400 gm unsalted butter, softened; 400 gm caster sugar; 1 egg yolk; 500 gm plain flour; 1 kg fresh strawberries (about 4 punnets), each evenly sized about 2cm long, hulled and halved lengthways; 120 ml heavy cream (45% milk fat), whipped; To serve: icing sugar and mint sprigs; Strawberry coulis; 500 gm strawberries, hulled and sliced; 150 gm icing sugar

Shortbread pastry must be made at least 12 hours ahead. You can freeze any leftover dough: roll it into a cylinder and slice off what you need as you need it. The baked shortbread biscuits will keep for a few days in an airtight container. You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

Ingredients

400 gm unsalted butter, softened

400 gm caster sugar

1 egg yolk

500 gm plain flour

1 kg fresh strawberries (about 4 punnets), each evenly sized about 2cm long, hulled and halved lengthways

120 ml heavy cream (45% milk fat), whipped

To serve: icing sugar and mint sprigs

Strawberry coulis

500 gm strawberries, hulled and sliced

150 gm icing sugar

Method

Main

1.Cream butter and sugar together by hand in a bowl. Mix in egg yolk, then add flour. Rub in with the fingers to form a crumbly texture.

2.Place mixture on a working surface and rub together, then roll into a ball. Cover in plastic wrap, leave to rest and set in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

3.Roll dough out until 3mm thick and, using a 9cm-round cutter, cut into 18 circles. Rest these for another hour in the fridge.

4.Preheat oven to 170C. Bake circles on a baking paper-lined tray until light brown (10-12 minutes). Be careful as the taste changes as the pastries darken.

5.Meanwhile, to make strawberry coulis, place strawberries in a bowl and cover with sugar. Leave for 2 to 3 hours while the sugar draws out the natural fruit juices. Purée the mixture then pass purée through a fine sieve to catch all the seeds. Chill until needed.

6.You will need 3 biscuits for each serving. Place a biscuit on each serving plate to form the base. Carefully place the halved strawberries on top to form a single layer, preferably with the strawberries standing upright.

7.Pipe a small round of whipped cream in the centre of the strawberries on your base biscuit. Very carefully, use a palette knife to lift another biscuit and place on top of cream. Add another row of strawberries, pipe a small round of whipped cream in the centre and place the third, final biscuit on top. Dust with icing sugar, place a strawberry on top and garnish with a sprig of mint.

8.To serve, spoon strawberry coulis around the plate. If you want, you can pour heavy cream over the top of the biscuit, allowing it to cascade down the sides.

Note This recipe is from Marco Pierre White’s Great British Feast (Orion, $55, hbk). In editing this recipe for publication we have made minor changes to bring it into Gourmet Traveller style.

Notes

Marco Pierre White

Recipe / styling by Lisa Featherby

Styling by Vanessa Austin

Ingredients

Method

Main

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