Seasonal recipes: Isle of Wight

Berries & Cherries

Nothing says summer quite like the heavenly taste of strawberries and cherries. Sweet and succulent, Isle of Wight strawberries and cherries are a treat whether served simply, with a good dollop of cream, or taking centre stage in these delicious recipes.

Strawberry and pistachio tarts Strawberry breakfast smoothie Strawberry cream cheese danish Godshill sweet cherry pie

Strawberry and pistachio tarts

These gorgeous strawberry tarts are the perfect summer dessert

Time: 1 hour to make, 20 mins to cook plus chilling | Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the sweet pastry…

30g shelled unsalted pistachios 110g unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced 1 large free-range egg 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 90g icing sugar 18g cornflour

For the tarts…

300ml double cream 2 vanilla pods, split lengthways and seeds scraped with a knife 100g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting 300g strawberries 3tbsp caster sugar 50g shelled unsalted pistachios, chopped (You will also need 6 individual tart tins 8cmx1.5cm deep)

Method

To make the pastry, pulse the pistachios in a food processor until very finely chopped, then set aside. Whizz the butter and egg in a food processor until creamy. Add the dry ingredients gradually until the dough comes together, then add the chopped pistachios and pulse a few times. Transfer the pastry to a lightly floured board, knead briefly until just smooth, then shape into a thick disc, wrap in cling film and chill for at least an hour.

Pour the cream into a large bowl, add the vanilla seeds (keep the pods to flavour bags of sugar or to add flavour to custard) and sift in the icing sugar, then whip with a whisk or electric hand mixer until it forms soft peaks – if you lift the whisk out, the peak that forms will curl over a little. Chill until needed.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and leave to sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, hull and quarter the strawberries, put in a bowl and sprinkle with the caster sugar. Set aside so the sugar dissolves and gives them a sweet glaze. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/ gas 5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to the thickness of a one-pound coin. Use a pastry case tin as a guide and cut out 6 discs about 12-13cm in diameter. Carefully line each mould with pastry, pressing the pastry into the fluted edges. Roll the rolling pin over the top of each case to remove the excess pastry and leave a clean edge. Re-roll the pastry trimmings as needed. Chill the pastry cases in the freezer for 15 minutes, then line with foil, fill with baking beans or rice and blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans/rice and bake for a further 5 minutes until sandy-coloured and crisp all over. Leave the cases to cool completely. To assemble, take the whipped cream from the fridge and whip it briefly again to firm it up. Fill each tart one-third full with the cream, smoothing the top until even. Drain the strawberries of any excess juice, then arrange them standing up neatly in the tart cases. The cream will rise as you push the strawberries in. Scatter over the chopped nuts and dust with icing sugar. Once assembled, these will keep for 2 hours.

Perfect to enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea for breakfast or with a scoop of ice cream for dessert

Strawberry breakfast smoothie

This strawberry smoothie is thick, creamy, and loaded with flavour. We’ve thrown in some oats for added texture and thickness, making this smoothie a wonderful quick breakfast or snack

Time: 10mins | Serves: 2

Ingredients

½ cup (45g) rolled oats 1 cup (240ml) almond milk (or you can use whichever milk you prefer) 1 large banana, sliced and frozen 14 strawberries, frozen 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup (you can leave out if you find the smoothie already sweet enough)

Method

Add the oats to a blender or food processor and pulse a few times to grind them up slightly. Add the milk, banana, strawberries, honey, and blend until smooth and combined. Pour into glasses, serve, and enjoy!

Strawberry cream cheese danish

This easy strawberry cream cheese Danish uses puff pastry and fresh strawberries, making it the ultimate quick summer treat!

Time: 30mins | Serves: 8

Ingredients

4oz cream cheese, room temperature (½ package) 3 tbsp sugar 1 egg yolk 1 sheet puff pastry ½ 450g box, cold 1 egg white 1 tbsp water 16 strawberries very thinly sliced 3 tbsp strawberry jam, warmed Method

Preheat oven to 400˚F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and egg yolk until smooth. Roll out puff pastry into a rough 12″ by 12″ square. Cut in half down the middle and cut each side into 4 rectangular pieces. Divide cream cheese mixture between 8 pieces of puff pastry and spread to within ½” of the outside.

With a fork, beat egg white and water until combined. Brush around the exposed edges of the puff pastry. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool 20-30 minutes.

Top with a layer of strawberries and brush with jam. Serve immediately. Cover leftovers loosely with plastic wrap and serve within 6-8 hours.

Godshill sweet cherry pie

This culinary classic tastes all the better with delicious local cherries playing the starring role!

By Farmer Jacks, Arreton

Ingredients

For the filling…

3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch 11/2 pounds Godshill Orchard fresh sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted 1 tbsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp salt

For the pie…

1 package shortcrust pastry 1 large egg 1 tsp water 1 tbsp demerara sugar Method

Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in a large saucepan. Add the cherries, vanilla, and salt and toss to coat in the sugar-cornstarch mixture. Cook over medium-high heat until the cherries begin to break down and the mixture begins to simmer and thicken slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool slightly while you prepare the crust. Heat the oven to 190˚C. Unroll the shortcrust and transfer it to a 9-inch standard pie pan. Press the dough into the bottom and along the sides of the pie plate, being careful not to puncture the dough. Keep the extra dough for the top of the pie. Whisk the egg and water together with a fork, in a small bowl, to make an egg wash. Brush the inside of the pie crust with the egg wash (save some for brushing the top crust).

Pour the cooled filling into the crust. Cut 1-inch wide strips out of the remaining dough. Transfer every other strip to the top of the pie, spacing them evenly. Create a criss-cross pattern by alternating the strips. Brush the top crust and edges of the pie dough with the egg wash, then sprinkle generously with the coarse sugar. Bake until the filling is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool before slicing. Serve your cherry pie warm with a scoop of your favourite vanilla bean ice cream.