Sumac-Roasted Strawberries with Yogurt Cream

From the Cookbook

Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi

This is a good dessert if you have overripe strawberries that are slightly past their best. Roasting them makes them deliciously soft and sticky. All of the elements can be made 3 days in advance-keep them separate in the fridge and assemble once ready to serve. Serve this as is, for a light summer dessert, or with shortbread biscuits.

Serves Six

Ingredients

3 3/4 cups/900g Greek-style yogurt

1 cup plus 3 tbsp/140g-Confectioners’ sugar

salt

1/2 cup/120 ml heavy cream

1 Lemon: finely zest to get 1 tsp, then juice to get 2 tbsp

1/2 cup/80 ml water

1 lb 5 oz/600g ripe strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise

1/1/2 tbsp sumac

1/2 cup/10g mint

Half sprigs and the other half leaves, Finely shredded

1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise and seeds scraped

1/3 cup/80 ml water

1.   Put the yogurt in a bowl with 1/2 cup plus 4 1/2 tsp confectioners sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix, then transfer to a sieve lined with cheesecloth and set over a bowl. Tie the cheesecloth into a bundle with string, weight it down with a heavy bowl, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Extract as much liquid as possible, until you are left with about 2 cups plus 5 tbsp/500 g of thickened yogurt. Remove from the cheesecloth-discarding any liquid-and transfer to a bowl. Stir in the cream and lemon zest and refrigerate until ready to use.

2.   Preheat the oven to 425 F.

3.   Meanwhile, roast the strawberries. Toss the strawberries with the sumac, mint sprigs, vanilla pod and seeds, lemon juice, the remaining confectioners sugar and the water. Transfer to an ovenproof dish measuring about 8 X12 inches/20 X 30 cm. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing after 10 minutes, until soft and bubbling. Let cool to room temperature, and then lift out and discard the mint and vanilla pod. Strain the roasting juices into a jug. Pour 3 tbsp of the juices into the yogurt cream and gently fold it through so the cream is rippled. Set aside 3 tbsp of juices to serve. (Keep the remaining juices to drizzle over your morning granola.)

4. To serve, spoon the rippled cream into bowls and top with the strawberries. Pour the juices over the top and garnish with the shredded mint.