Recipe: Vacherin and Sweet Eve Strawberries

Back in May I discovered Vacherin, not to be confused with the cow’s milk cheese, but a French dessert make of meringue, creme chantilly and fruits I sampled in Rocamadour in the Dordogne Valley, France. The one I ate was filled with strawberry sorbet, vanilla ice cream, topped with cream, meringue and red berries coulis. I absolutely loved it! So much that its picture is on the back of my personal card. 

The French version

With the strawberry season upon us, I got hold of some British, plumb and juicy  Sweet Eve strawberries and decided to make my own version of this delightful dessert.  Here it goes: Vacherin filled with strawberry sorbet, the whitest and smoothest black pepper ice cream, topped with yogurt, and white chocolate sauce, drenched in strawberry coulis. Serves 6.

My version

Happy Summer! 
Vacherin strawberry  and black pepper ice cream with white chocolate sauce

Ingredients:
1 packet of meringue, shop bought, or you can make using this recipe

Coulis
1 punnet of Sweet Eve strawberries
70g of caster sugar
100g water
squeeze of lime/lemon
Method: 
1) place all ingredients in a pan and cook in low heat till the strawberries fall apart.
2) blend the strawberry mixture with the squeeze of lemon/lime
3) sieve the mixture, reserve

 Strawberry sorbet
300g Sweet Eve strawberries
300ml of simple syrup (recipe)
Method
1) blend the strawberries and simple syrup and place in the ice cream maker.
2) Alternatively, place in the freezer in a shallow tray and every 30-45 minutes, break the ice crystals with a fork, repeat the process 3 times. 

Black pepper ice cream

250ml double cream
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
250ml of full fat milk
1 tbsp of black cracked pepper 
Method
1) Place the milk and the black pepper in 
a pan over medium heat and let it simmer for 2 minutes, switch it off and
let it cool and steep overnight in fridge.

 

2)
Next day, strain the milk, transfer it to a bowl and add the double cream.
Place in a ice-cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s
instructions. 
3) place in the freezer in a shallow tray

tip: If you don’t have an ice-cream
maker, tip the mixture into a shallow plastic container, cover and put in the
freezer. Remove after an 1-1 1/2 hours (the mixture should a ring of ice round
the side and be slushy in the middle) and beat with an electric mixer for a few
seconds. Put it back in the freezer and repeat the beating process at least
twice at intervals of 1-1 1/2 hours. After the third beating, transfer it to a
deeper box and freeze for 1/2 hour before serving
 

White chocolate sauce to drizzle on top
100g of cooking white chocolate
100ml of plain yogurt

Method:
1) in a double-boiler place the white chocolate over low heat to melt thoroughly. 
2) off the heat, add the plain yogurt

Assemble: 
In a plate spread the coulis, add the meringue, top with the strawberry sorbet* and black pepper ice cream*, yogurt and next the strawberries and drizzle with white chocolate drizzle.  
* – as the ice cream and sorbet are on shallow trays, take out of the freezer 3 minutes before assembling. Cut the circles with the help of a glass rim. 
Enjoy it!
 

Disclosure: I
am a contributor to Great British Chefs blog and this recipe was
specially written for Sweet Eve Strawberries in association with Great British
Chefs
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