Strawberries with cashew cream and Thai basil granita

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Make the granita first, because it will need to freeze, which will take anything between four and six hours. Put 75g of the caster sugar in a small pan with 75ml cold water and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve. Take off the heat, leave to cool a little, then put in the fridge to chill. Pick a handful of the smallest Thai basil leaves and put them in a sealed container in the fridge. Pop the rest of the bunch of basil, stalks and all, in a blender with the elderflower cordial, the chilled sugar syrup and 125ml cold water, then blitz smooth. Pass the granita mix through a fine sieve into a wide container that will fit in your freezer (keep the solids left behind in the sieve – they make a lovely infusion for chilled water; just be sure to strain it before drinking). Pop the lid on the container and put it in the freezer for an hour.

Step 2

Scrape the ice crystals around the edges into the more liquid centre, then freeze again. Repeat every hour for four to six hours, until the granita is the consistency of slushy snow. Leave in the freezer until ready to serve. (In the restaurant, we just leave the mix to freeze solid, and scrape it only when we need to serve.)

Step 3

Toast 60g of the cashew nuts in a dry frying pan, or in a 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5 oven. Put the remaining 60g caster sugar in a heavy-based saucepan on a medium-high heat, and gently shake the pan until the sugar starts to melt; do not stir it, though, or the caramel may crystallise. As the sugar carries on melting, shake and swirl the pan until the sugar turns into a deep caramel, then tip in the toasted nuts, salt and fennel seeds. Stir quickly to combine, then immediately scrape out on to a metal tray and leave to cool. Once cooled, roughly chop the resulting cashew praline.

Step 4

Put the remaining 190g cashew nuts in a blender with 225ml cold water, blitz until they’re silky-smooth, then put in the fridge to chill. Meanwhile, hull and quarter the strawberries (or halve them if they’re on the small side).

Step 5

Spoon a quarter of the cashew cream into each of four shallow bowls, then top with the strawberries and a scattering of the chopped praline. Take the granita out of the freezer, scrape it with a fork, so it again looks like slushy snow, then pop a scoop on top of the strawberries in each bowl. Finish with a few of the reserved chilled basil leaves and serve