serves
10
prep
15 minutes
cook
25 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
10
people
preparation
15
minutes
cooking
25
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 2 cups (275 g) fresh (or frozen and thawed) native cherries
- 3½ cups (480 g) fresh (or frozen and thawed) cherries
- 1¼ cups (200 g) riberries or lilly pillies
- 2 tbsp caster sugar, plus extra to taste
- 6 strawberry gum leaves or 1 tsp powder
- 80 g (2¾ oz) tapioca (sago)
- 400 g (14 oz) packet ladyfinger or savoiardi biscuits, or ½ bought sponge cake
- 1–1½ cups (250–375 ml) Økar amaro (or other amaro)
- Edible flowers, to serve
Wattleseed custard
- 350 ml (12 fl oz) milk
- 3 free-range eggs
- ¼ cup (30 g) cornflour
- ⅓ cup (75 g) firmly packed brown sugar
- 1–2 tsp wattleseed extract (see Note)
Cherry cream
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) pure cream
- 1 tbsp pure icing sugar
- ½ tsp cherry or almond essence
Cooling time: 1-2 hours.
Instructions
- For wattleseed custard, whisk milk, eggs and cornflour together in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Whisk constantly for 5 minutes, or until thick. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar and wattleseed extract until dissolved. Transfer to a small bowl, cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set.
- Put cherries, riberries, sugar and strawberry gum leaves in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover by 2–3 cm (¾–1¼ in). Place over low-medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer, continuing to stir, for about 2 minutes or until cherries are soft. Remove from heat and remove strawberry gum leaves.
- Cook tapioca using the instructions on the packet and rinse under cold water to remove starch.
- For cherry cream, whip cream and icing sugar with an electric hand mixer until almost thick. Slowly drizzle in cherry essence and continue to whip until thick enough to hold the mixer up without it falling off.
- To serve, arrange biscuits or sponge in the bottom of a large glass serving bowl. Pour Økar over to your preferred level of sogginess. Spoon most of the fruit on top, then pour in wattleseed custard. Spoon tapioca on top, then a layer of cherry cream. Decorate with remaining fruit, and garnish with edible flowers.
Note
• For wattleseed extract, add 1 tbsp ground wattleseed to a small coffee plunger and pour in ¼ cup (60 ml) boiling water. Leave for 2 minutes to steep, then plunge as normal. (Alternatively, brew it in a tea infuser.)
Substitution options (if required)
Native cherries - Cherries
Riberries or lilly pillies - Blueberries
Wattleseed extract - ground coffee or vanilla extract
Recipe and image from by Damien Coulthard and Rebecca Sullivan, photography by Josh Geelen (Murdoch Books $49.99).
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
