Geoff Jansz demonstrated how to make a delicious, strawberry shortbread dessert.

Shortbread
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3/4 cup plain flour

Strawberry coulis
2 punnets fresh strawberries
4 tablespoons caster sugar

Cream filling
300ml fresh cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar
extra icing sugar for dusting

Method

1. Put the butter, vanilla essence and 1/4 of a cup of caster sugar into a blender. Blend until combined. Scrape down the sides and blend again. Add the flour and mix thoroughly.
2. Tip the mixture onto a cool, clean surface. Roll out to a circle about 1cm thick. Using a biscuit cutter, cut out the shortbread biscuits. Place the biscuits on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in a moderate oven (160°C) for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned. When cooked, set aside to cool.
3. Wash the strawberries. (Tip: do not hull the strawberries until after they are washed, otherwise they'll go soggy.)
Remove the hulls then slice the strawberries and divide into two lots. Stir 2 tablespoons of caster sugar through the best quality ones, and put them aside for presentation. Put the other half into a blender with 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and blend into a smooth sauce or coulis.
4. Whip the cream until firm, then stir in 1 tablespoon of icing sugar.
5. To assemble: put a little whipped cream in the middle of a serving plate then place one biscuit on the cream (the cream holds the biscuit in place). Top the biscuit with sliced presentation strawberries and whipped cream. Add another shortbread biscuit, then more cream and strawberries. Top with strawberry couli and a sprinkle of icing sugar

Copyright CTC Productions 2001