10g powdered gelatine
250ml (1 cup) cream
4 egg whites
100g castor sugar
3 x 250g punnets Food Lover’s Strawberries
10ml (2 tsp) lemon juice
Seeds of 1 vanilla pod
Fresh strawberries, sliced
Pistachio nuts, shelled and chopped
Vanilla shortbread biscuits, crumbled
Sponge the gelatine and set aside until needed.
Prepare a Swiss meringue over a bain-marie (water bath) by whipping the egg whites in a glass bowl until soft peaks form, and slowly incorporating the sugar while constantly whisking. Monitor the temperature of the bowl – you always need to be able to touch the bottom of the bowl without burning. If the bowl gets too hot, lift it from the bain-marie until cooled while still whipping, then return it to the bain-marie. You know the meringue is ready when all the sugar is incorporated and has dissolved and the meringue is smooth and glossy.
Whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
Remove the strawberry tops and blend the strawberries into a purée – it should be about 500g of purée. Set aside 100g of the strawberry purée for garnishing.
Melt the sponged gelatine and mix it into the remaining 400g of strawberry purée with the lemon juice and vanilla seeds.
Gently fold the cream and Swiss meringue in with the strawberry purée. Be careful not to knock out all the air captured in the whipped cream and the meringue.
Layer the mousse in glass jars with the strawberry purée that was set aside.
Place the mousse in the fridge to set for 4 hours or overnight.
Once set, garnish with fresh strawberries, pistachio nuts and crumbled vanilla shortbread biscuits.
