With Gordon Ramsay and The Telegraph cookery writer Xanthe Clay both writing about strawberries in their respective papers this weekend, it’s the ideal moment to reflect again on what makes the perfect match for this seasonal fruit.
Gordon’s recipes in The Times
Strawberry Swiss Roll
Like Xanthe’s recipe below this is a light sponge given an extra alcoholic kick with a couple of spoonfuls of strawberry liqueur and made richer by including strawberry jam. I quite like the idea of serving a glass of prosecco with this with a dash of strawberry liqueur or possibly even a champagne cocktail but if that strikes you as a little too way out or too boozy try a southern French muscat such as Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise.
Chilled Rice Pudding with Strawberry Soup
The ‘soup’, a puree of strawberries, boosted with a dash of white rum, is offset in the finished dish by a luxurious, extra-creamy rice pudding but the net effect is going to be quite rich and again slightly boozy. I think I’d be going for a sweet wine with good acidity - possibly one of the very good value Australian botrytis semillons from the Riverina or an auslese Scheurebe or Riesling
Buttermilk pancakes with strawberries and white chocolate sauce
A tricky proposition. Basically this sounds like a brunch dish but the white chocolate sauce, which contains a strong slug of Baileys, again has quite an alcoholic kick. I’m not sure I’d want to drink anything with it but here’s a slightly off-the-wall idea that plays on the brunch feel and will balance the richness of the sauce - hot espresso coffee shots (or cups) with a dash of Kahlua or other coffee liqueur!
Xanthe’s recipes in the Daily Telegraph
Strawberry tart
This recipe which is based on a creamy French-style, vanilla-scented custard is more wine-friendly than Gordon's: the perfect dish to show off a Sauternes or similar Bordeaux sweet white.
Strawberry sponge
Xanthe’s recipe is again simpler than Gordon’s swiss roll - just a light, airy confection full of strawberries and cream. Lovely with a demi-sec or light fruity rosé champagne
Strawberry jelly
Xanthe suggests this might be a component of other dishes such as a knickerbocker glory which would make a pairing quite tricky. If that were the case I’d go back to the idea of prosecco served with a splash of strawberry liqueur or an ice cold shot of strawberry liqueur or schnapps. An iced shot of Cointreau would be nice if you were eating it on its own.
