If anyone knows how to make a truly special pud, it’s Anna Higham, executive pastry chef at The River Café and author of stunning new dessert book, The Last Bite. Here she shares some stunning ideas for getting the most out of summer fruits
CHERRIES
There are a couple of ways to boost any cherry recipe. One way is to either cook the cherries with their stones in or keep the stones once they are pitted and add them to the cherries as they cook. The middle eastern spice mahlab has the flavour of cherry stones, so also adding a pinch of that can boost the almondy quality of the fruit too. A little vinegar (a fruity red wine or cider vinegar) added to a bowl of cherries will help balance and exaggerate their sweetness.
RASPBERRIES
Perfectly ripe berries want little more than a pool of rich cream or custard. For all those berries that slightly miss the mark, either underripe and in need of a little boost, or having slumped into juicy overripeness, I suggest you use them in a fool, ice cream or semifreddo. Dairy really is the best accompaniment to berries so be joyous and generous in your use of cream. The season is brief so revel in it while you can.
STRAWBERRIES
Wherever you buy your strawberries, whether the supermarket or a pick-your-own farm, they should smell fragrant and like the most inviting of summer afternoons. The best piece of advice I can give is to never serve a cold strawberry. Let them come to room temperature and the flavour and aroma should be at its most intoxicating. Strawberries work best with simple flavour combinations; a little vanilla, elderflower or a splash of sweet vinegar is all they need.
ELDERFLOWER
Elderflowers are best picked in the morning before the heat of midday to capture the best of their sweet aroma. You want to pick blossoms that are away from busy roads and 1m above the ground. The best blooms are those that still have some flowers just opening as they'll have the most aromatic pollen. Try to use them as q
