Strawberry Seduction : Strawberry Jam Snails with clotted cream
Mike’s Table is celebrating a season of sensational strawberries, and I’m reminded of the time I had a glut of strawberries leftover from a function. They were absolutely gorgeous fruit – punnets of them, stored in our large coolroom. They filled the space with the intoxicating smell of pure strawberry. I immediately thought of making jam, to capture them at their peak. There was no other upcoming event that required the use of strawberries, so they would eventually have been eaten by staff or binned anyway. That’s the thing about working with functions sometimes, and as a result, I’ve been slowly accumulating an eclectic collection of jams in my section : pineapple and star anise, raspberry and eau de vie, banana and honey (quite a good one, by Jane and Jeremy Strode), and my favourite, strawberry and vanilla jam. The recipe is by Christine Ferber from her book, Mes Confitures. A great way to use the resulting jam, apart from spreading it on toast, is to make it into strawberry butter, which features in Belinda Jeffery’s fantastic Strawberry Jam ‘Snails’ recipe. These scrolled scone-like treats are so great I have to stop myself after one, or there would be no looking back! (Incidentally, for those with less of a sweet tooth, I can vouch for the fact that adapting the recipe to make a savoury Roquefort and Hazelnut version is also a very good treat in itself.)
Strawberry Jam ‘Snails’ :
(makes 10; from Mix & Bake by Belinda Jeffery)
300g self-raising flour
pinch salt
1 tablespoon castor sugar
75g cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
180-250ml milk
1 egg yolk, whisked with 2 teaspoons of water or milk (optional)
icing sugar, for dusting
more jam, copious amounts of double thick cream and fresh strawberries (optional), to serve [Belinda says she tends to gild the lily with this particular tea time treat. I’ve one-upped Belinda by serving mine with clotted cream from the Yarra Valley]
Strawberry butter:
60g unsalted butter, at room temperature
80g homemade strawberry jam
Preheat oven to 200’C.
Place the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Rub the butter chunks into the flour mixture. Pour in the milk and mix it in lightly with a fork; you will have to adjust the milk a little – you need just enough to make a soft, slightly flaky dough.
Turn the dough out onto a floured chopping board and knead it gently until it’s fairly smooth. Roll the dough (or pat it out with your hands) into a rectangle about 30cm x 20cm.
For the strawberry butter, put the butter and jam into the food processor and whiz them together until they’re thoroughly mixed. Spread the strawberry butter evenly over the dough. Starting at the long side nearest you, roll the dough up like a jam roll. Use a lightly floured knife to cut the roll into 3cm-thick slices.
Sit the scones, cut side-down, on a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving a gap between each one to allow them to spread. (If you have the time you can refrigerate the scones at this stage for 1 hour or so before baking them – they seem to hold together better if you do).
Just before putting the scones in the oven, brush around the sides of each one with the egg yolk mixture, if using, to give them a golden glaze. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the scones are light golden. Take the scones out of the oven, dust them with icing sugar and pop them into a serving basket lined with a clean cloth or tea towel to keep them warm.
Serve them straightaway with jam, cream and fresh strawberries.
arfi said,
March 22, 2008 @ 11:57 am
we’ve finished the strawberries in the garden. they’re growing and rambling more roots everywhere now. i taste strawberries from the local growers somewhat better than those from the supermarket. our strawberries are smaller than those sold at the supermarket, but the flavour is more intense than their peers. i love the taste of strawberry jam though in a swirl like this. delicate and sweet!
Y said,
March 22, 2008 @ 2:29 pm
I’m usually quite wary of big strawberries anyway. The word Watery, comes to mind often. Lucky you, that you even have strawberries growing the garden! They’re such cute little plants 🙂
cyn said,
March 23, 2008 @ 10:19 am
these are some lovely looking snails! strawberry butter sounds like a fantastic addition too! yum! 🙂
btw yes i would lurrvee to have the soda bread recipe if you dont mind! you can email the recipe directly! thanks!!!
Aran said,
March 24, 2008 @ 8:55 am
This looks really really good…. yum!
Lorraine E said,
March 27, 2008 @ 10:35 am
Mmm I’m drooling as its breakfast time and I could definitely do with one of those snails!
tina said,
April 8, 2008 @ 12:56 am
Those look amazing!! what a fantastic way to start the day!!
Lysy said,
April 9, 2008 @ 6:48 am
These look delicious, and so cute! Time to buy more strawberries…
Claudelle Murray said,
March 18, 2015 @ 6:23 pm
A really lovely light recipe, we loved it.