To make an authentic Raspberries St. George you need a rectangular dish like the one shown in the picture. This will make it easier for your guests to identify the Cross of St. George. By the way, the Cross of St. George is the true flag of England, not the Union flag as most everyone supposes. Of course, if you are not feeling compelled to create the English flag (and I do understand that might, on rare occasions, happen) you can assemble the ingredients in individual balloon wine glasses topped with fresh raspberries, fresh mint, and whipped cream. If you really want to impress your friends, serve this dish alongside Scottish Thistle Shortbread (recipe on page 131). Bet you don’t have any leftovers!
If the raspberries are sad looking or you fancy a change, substitute fresh strawberries. Save the smaller ones for the cross in the middle.
1 quart (4 cups) fresh raspberries, divided
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
Whipped cream
1. Puree half (2 cups) of the fresh raspberries to a pulp. Strain them through a fine sieve to remove all seeds. In a large bowl whip the heavy cream with the granulated sugar and vanilla until stiff. Without overbeating, carefully fold the raspberry puree into the whipped cream mix.
2. In the rectangular serving dish, arrange the remaining fresh raspberries side by side to make a large red cross in the dish. Lay another layer of raspberries on top. Divide the raspberry fool into the four corners of the dish, taking care not to disturb the raspberry cross in the center. Using a spatula, smooth the fool until each of the four quarters is flat.
3. Place additional whipped cream in a piping bag with a star tube. Highlight the whole raspberry cross by piping small rosettes of cream along each sides of the cross.
MAKES 10 SERVINGS
Framboises St. George