Berrymissu!

This is my favourite Christmas dessert. I first made it back in 2010! I was hosting Christmas lunch in my tiny one bedroom apartment in Sydney and wanted a showstopper dessert. Blogging was quite new and fun and I followed A LOT of food blogs back then! (As well as writing my own!). I found the Berrymissu recipe on a food blog and printed it off (in colour!) on the work computer. Rebel!

I took my entertaining very seriously back in those days. Menu planning for weeks in advance, reading cookbooks, writing shopping and food prep lists and going big on decorations. 15 years down the track and the parties might be a little more casual, the planning a little more haphazard and the last minute rush a lot more apparent, but the vibe still remains. Good people, good food, good fun.

And the Berrymissu still makes a showstopping Christmas dessert!

1 large packet of savoiardi biscuits (ladyfingers)
3 punnets of strawberries
1 punnet each of raspberries and blueberries
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
200g caster sugar
250g mascarpone
300ml thickened cream 

First macerate the strawberries…
Wash one punnet of strawberries. Pat dry and hull, then dice into 1cm cubes. Place in a bowl with the balsamic vinegar and 3 tspn caster sugar. Stir well to ensure the strawberries are coated. Cover and place in fridge to macerate until needed. 

To make the mascarpone mixture, wash a second punnet of strawberries. Hull and quarter and place in a small saucepan with 250ml water and 80g caster sugar. Bring to a boil over medium/high heat and then simmer for 10 minutes until strawberries are sift and syrup has thickened. Remove the heat. Strain, reserving the syrup. Allow to cool. 

Using a stand mixer, beat the mascarpone and remaining 100g caster sugar until soft.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it thickens.
Gradually mix in the maspcarpone mixture and 50ml of the strawberry syrup.

 Now to the assembly! 
Line the base and sides of a 20cm spring-form tin with non-stick baking paper.
Dip savoiardi biscuits into the remaining strawberry syrup and cover the base of the cake tin.
Chop biscuits in half (across the middle, not down!) and dip in the syrup and then line the sides of the baking tray (curved ends at the top).
Using a third of the mascarpone mixture, cover the base layer of savoiardi with a layer of the mascarpone, spreading evenly and to the edges.
Then use half of the macerated strawberries to add another layer.
Repeat once more with another layer of syrup dipped savoiardi biscuits, another third of the mascarpone mixture and the remaining macerated strawberries.
Finally add the remaining mascarpone mixture to cover the strawberries.
Chill in the fridge for an hour.

When ready to serve, remove the outside of the spring-form pan and cover the top of the mascarpone with the fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries and strawberries). Don’t hold back! Go big! It’s a showstopper remember!

It’s a fairly sweet dessert, so it doesn’t really need anything much to accompany it, but some slithers of mango or some shavings of dark chocolate would both be a happy sidekick!.

Colourful and creamy. A big berrymissu!