Two ways to cook... strawberries

GARY’S WAY... STRAWBERRY-MISU

I often find myself going back to my Boston cheffing days when I am writing a recipe, especially around this time of year, as the summer sun brings back memories of my time spent Stateside. A dessert that stands out was my berrymisu. I’d wanted to create a sundae-like dessert for my al fresco menu and tiramisu came to mind. A strong coffee flavoured dessert in the summer heat didn’t click with me though. But I figured that by using some berries and playing around with some fruity liqueurs, I’d create my own wee take on the classic.

Fast forward to last year's Taste of Donegal food festival and a chance meeting with the legend that is Pat Clarke, and the seed was planted for me to once again put a twist on it. Pat Clarke is a name synonymous with Irish strawberries. He has been growing these wee gems since the 1960s and introduced the El Santa variety to Ireland. This dessert will look beautiful served family-style in the middle of the dining table, or if you want to go down the more formal route, use some martini glasses and build it the same way. It'll take more time, but they are show stopping.

VANESSA’S WAY... SUMMER STRAWBERRY TART

My favourite memory from living in Paris were the brightly lit French patisseries with shiny glass counters and gleaming gold surrounds, where I dreamed of becoming a pastry chef. The glistening tartes aux fraises, sweet pastry tartlets filled with luxurious pastry cream and glazed strawberries were my perfect dessert.

Sweet pastry is trickier to roll out than unsweetened pastry, so it’s worth leaving it to rest overnight. Any leftover pastry trimmings can be baked off as cookies.

Pastry chefs take pride in making the perfect pastry cream, but I have included an easy pastry cream here.