Recently, I was in a grocery store in Edinburgh with my good friend Moira. While walking down several aisles full of unfamiliar, precooked grains, noodles, pasta sauces and curry sauces, I was reminded of Jamie Oliver, the star of the BBC Two cooking show “The Naked Chef.” Remember him? Each week, Oliver would cook something mouthwatering — sometimes using a precooked ingredient or with only a few ingredients — with the ease and timing that kept his audience loyal and awe-inspired. Moira recommended a couple of items I had never seen before. Modeling the unflappable Oliver, I decided to buy them. My favorite item turned out to be one that, though not precooked, was ready-made. I discovered later it was also mouthwatering and fast to make.
Generally, I don’t like prepackaged food, but this turned out to be delicious and I decided to try and recreate it myself. It tasted like a dessert even though it was packaged like a yogurt. There was some yogurt in there, but the texture was smooth and foamy like a mousse; the added yogurt gave it a bit more volume and a slight tang; together with the fruit puree, it was the perfect combination of a light, satisfying, warm-weather dessert.
I experimented when I got back to my own kitchen and came up with the following recipe. My first step was to make a strawberry coulis. The word “coulis” comes from the French word “coleïs,” which means runny. Originally the term was used to describe the juices that ran from meat after it was cooked, or from roasted vegetables, which were then turned into a gravy or used to thicken a soup. Eventually fruit became also included in the category — when cooked and strained it is a thin sauce.
To keep the texture light and airy, I whipped the yogurt into the whipped cream and then added the cooled strawberry coulis. This recipe makes more coulis than you need, but it is a versatile sauce — great over ice cream, panna cotta and almond cake, or added to a scone recipe. It will keep in the freezer for at least a month.
This is a simple dessert. It took less than 30 minutes to make, and you don’t have to turn on the oven — the definition of a good summer dessert.
Claudia Alexander a resident of Marin County, has been happily cooking for family and friends for more than three decades. She has a weekly food blog, sweetbynurture.com. You can contact her at sweetbynurture@gmail.com.
Moira’s Strawberry Crème
6 servings (1/2 cup each)
Strawberry Coulis
1 pound strawberries, washed, hulled and halved
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Put everything in a saucepan and cook over low heat until the berries fall apart, eight to 10 minutes.
Take off the heat and puree until smooth with an immersion blender. Strain to get out the seeds and to give it a consistent texture. Set aside while making the crème.
Crème
1 cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup whole milk plain yogurt
1/3 cup of strawberry coulis
Whip cream until you get soft peaks. Add the yogurt and whip again for a minute to combine. Add the coulis and beat again until the color is even — 30 seconds. Spoon some of the remaining strawberry coulis into the bottom of a decorative glass and then spoon a scant ½ cup of the cream over the top. Repeat with the remaining glasses.
Let the dessert set in the refrigerator for about one hour. Serve with a slice of strawberry standing up in the crème. Can be made the day before.
