Deconstructed Strawberry & Cream Pie

The sun has found it's way around the clouds and we are finally getting some sunny days here in Britain! 

Which means right now is a great time to enjoy some of Britain’s best produce.

Like tomatoes, asparagus, new potatoes, rhubarb, and everyone’s favorite strawberries!

When the weather starts to get warmer I do bake less. It’s just uncomfortable to be in front of an oven when it’s hot outside.

Which is why deconstructing some desserts makes a perfect summer pudding! 

I’m not really a fan of deconstructing things, it seems a bit silly to me at, but I didn't know how else to describe this dessert.

So, deconstructed it is. 

It’s strawberries soaked in strawberry puree with fresh mint leaves and sugar. Topped with whipped cream served with lemon curd and shortbread. Sounds like a strawberry pie to me.

It’s super easy and perfect to make ahead of time, especially if you are having a BBQ or something.

So, here is how I made this refreshing and light summer pudding!

Strawberry Pie {deconstructed}:

400g strawberries, hulled and quartered

1 tbsp icing sugar

1 tsp of cider vinegar or lemon juice

3-5 mint leaves

75 ml British whipping cream

MacKay’s Lemon curd

Sainsbury’s All Butter Shortbread Petticoat Tails

Puree 150g of the strawberries with the icing sugar, vinegar, and mint leaves. Add more sugar or mint to taste. Pour over the remaining strawberries and leave in the fridge for about an hour or until ready to serve.

Whip the cream to soft peaks and swirl about a tablespoon of lemon curd into the whipped cream. I didn't do this because my husband is allergic to all things citrus, so I placed a tsp of lemon curd on the side when serving so he could have some too!

To serve place two heaped tablespoons of the strawberries on a plate, place a heaped tablespoon of whipped cream next to it with a tsp of lemon curd and a couple petticoat tails. Enjoy!

The recipe could always be doubled to serve more people. The quantities above would serve about 4. Another way to serve it would be to crumble the shortbread at the bottom of a bowl and spoon the strawberries over them, top with whipped cream and garnish with a mint leaf. I always think of these things when I’m writing out the blog post.

Stay tuned! I have another recipe using British Strawberries to share with you soon! 

notes: In association with Sainsbury’s The Best of British campaign. Recipe is adapted from Sainsbury’s Magazine’s June 2011 issue. Mackay’s had sent me a few jars of jams and curds last summer for their #bakingwithmackays campaign and this was leftover so I thought I’d mention it. This post was written for day 19 of Blog Every Day in May, #BEDM.