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Strawberry Jelly with Vanilla Semifreddo Custard

Course: Dessert

Ingredients

Strawberry jelly:

  • 1 kg strawberries; hulled and halved
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 60 ml Chambord liqueur
  • 70 g caster sugar
  • 15 g gelatin leaves

Vanilla Semifreddo:

  • 400 ml full cream milk
  • 400 ml condensed milk
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 250 ml heavy cream

Instructions

Strawberry Jelly:

  • Place the strawberries in a large heat proof bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place over a pot of simmering water and allow to cook for 1 ½ hours to extract all the juice from the fruit.
  • Line a sieve with muslin or cheese cloth and place over a large bowl. Pour the cooked strawberries with all the juice into the cloth and allow to drain for 30-45 minutes. Do not press the fruit as this will make the jelly cloudy. Discard the pulp.
  • Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water to soften.
  • Pour the drained juice into a measuring jar and add lemon juice and liqueur. Make up the volume to 600ml with water and transfer to a pan. Place over heat and add the caster sugar, stirring to dissolve. Remove from heat.
  • Add the gelatin leaves to the warm liquid and stir until completely dissolved.
  • Pour into moulds and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.

Vanilla Semifreddo:

  • Place the milk, condensed milk and salt in a pan and bring to boil; stirring continuously. Reduce heat and add the vanilla paste.
  • Continue to cook for another 10-12 minutes, stirring often, till it reaches the consistency of a thin custard. Allow to cool and then chill in the fridge.
  • Whip the cream into soft peaks and then fold into the chilled milk mixture.
  • Line the tin with baking paper and pour the mixture into the tin. Freeze for at least 3 hours for a semi-frozen texture or 4-5 hours for a frozen one.
  • Serve the jelly along with the vanilla semifreddo and garnish using a baby basil or mint leaf. Enjoy!

Notes

Buy the ripest strawberries you can find; don’t go looking for the perfect, beautiful ones. The lightly mashed up ones are the best.
As mentioned, use any liqueur of your choice. If you do not want to use any, make up the extra volume with water itself.
Add half the quantity of sugar, taste and keep adding as all strawberries might not have the same sugar content.
Rinse the moulds before pouring the jelly, helps it come out easily.