Strawberry, coconut and praline trifle

As a gardener, I eagerly anticipate every season: apricot season, broccoli season, broad bean season, asparagus season and – hooray – strawberry season. Right now is the best strawberry season I’ve ever had, and I can only put it down to the incredible rain we had over winter. And the fact I let the runners from all of last year’s strawberry plants grow into a bajillion new plants.

Strawberries are super easy to grow. You can always buy a plant at your local nursery but if you have a friendly gardener and a bit of patience, wait until the end of strawberry season when the plants put out runners. This means they literally grow another strawberry plant, which they plant nearby, all by themselves. 

Give the new plant time to grow some roots then cut the stem that’s connecting it to the mother plant and transplant that baby to a sunny new home in rich soil that’s full of compost. Mulch around the plant and under the leaves to stop mud splashing up and damaging the fruit. Water regularly until the plant settles in and again when it’s flowering. Ease up on the water when the flowers turn into fruit as too much water can spoil strawberries. Pick them when they reach the most beautiful deep red, but before the slaters get to them or they go mushy. 

Like most berries, strawberries taste best when eaten within about 15 seconds of picking – the supermarket versions can’t even hope to compete. If you have too many to eat fresh, you can simply freeze them and use them in smoothies, or you can try this delicious strawberry, coconut and praline trifle. The brandy strawberries can be used within two days but will last much, much longer if you can hold out that long. If you’re not a fan of brandy, try white rum, vodka or even balsamic vinegar, or simply roughly chop fresh strawberries, add some finely chopped mint or basil, and use that as the berry layer. 

For the praline, I’ve used I Quit Sugar’s method but substituted the nuts for buckwheat, almonds and sunflower seeds – feel free to use which ever nuts or seeds you have available.

Strawberry, coconut and praline trifle

1 cup of strawberries

½ cup of brandy (see above note on alternatives)

1 can Ayam coconut cream

½ cup rice malt syrup

½ cup almonds

¼ cup buckwheat

¼ cup sunflower seeds

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp cinnamon

The zest of half an orange

Dark chocolate

3-7 days out

If using the alcohol/balsamic vinegar option, halve or roughly chop a cup of strawberries and loosely pack into a clean jar. Add brandy (or your preferred liquid) until the jar is approximately two thirds full of the liquid. Screw on the lid and stick the jar somewhere out of direct sunlight for at least a few days.

24 hours out

Refrigerate a can of good quality, pure (no guar gum) coconut cream – you need to do this at least several hours in advance.

On the day

To make the praline, preheat your oven’s grill to high. Gently warm the rice malt syrup in a small saucepan on the stove, stir through the nuts and seeds, pour onto a lined tray and stick under the grill for five minutes until the syrup is golden and bubbly (don’t let it or the nuts burn). Cool completely then pulse in a food processor or roughly chop. If making early, store in an airtight container.

Building your trifle

To make the whipped coconut cream, get the can from the fridge, open, and scoop out the cream, leaving behind any liquid left in the bottom. Don’t shake the can at all to ensure the cream and the liquid stay separate. Put the cream in a bowl with a drizzle of vanilla essence and a shake of cinnamon, and whip gently until smooth. 

In two small glasses, add a layer of strawberries and their brandy, a layer of coconut cream, a layer of praline, some finely grated chocolate and orange zest, a layer of coconut cream, a layer of strawberries and their brandy, and top with the praline, chocolate and zest. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve later.

Zucchini, strawberry and basil salad

There are a million reasons why to have your own vegie patch – because it makes vegies interesting, because you can grow truly organic produce, because everything tastes better when it’s home grown, because gardening is a superb form of meditation. 

My gorgeous yellow zucchini

But my number one reason is because there’s nothing so fulfilling as eating something amazing that was grown by you and picked only a few minutes earlier – it’s literally still growing! You don’t even need to know what you’re going to cook in advance.

Take this recipe for example. Up at my community garden plot I found my first zucchini of the season (hooray!), a good handful of strawberries that the slaters hadn’t found yet, and silverbeet that was super keen to be picked. Back home and my basil plants have doubled in size thanks to the recent rain. It only took about a minute to join the dots and come up with this fantastic salad.

Strawberries, silverbeet, zucchini and basil

Zucchini is so versatile – it can be steamed, sautéed, stir-fried, roasted, pickled, grated for fritters or spiralised into zoodles and used as a pasta substitute. But if you use it when it is super fresh, young and raw, it makes a slightly sweet and delicate addition to salads. It’s high in fibre, a swathe of vitamins and minerals and even omega 3 fatty acids. It’s easy to grow and – best news of all – it’s not late to plant them for a summer crop!

They’re best grown by planting the seed directly in a sunny spot, a metre apart, into soil that has been enriched with compost, manure and/or green manures. I have a slater plague in my garden, and one of their favourite foods is freshly germinated plant shoots, so I plant first into small pots and transplant the seedlings out when they reach about 10-15cm tall. If you do this, try to disturb the roots as little as possible during the transplant process.

Slaters love strawberries and young plants - and in my garden every other plant too!

Water regularly and protect the young plants from snails, slugs and other pests that can chew through the stalk overnight - natural options included crushed egg shells or human hair scattered around the plant. Try to water the roots and not the leaves to avoid disease, although they will probably still get powdery mildew as their health declines towards the end of summer – you can treat this through a range of organic means but it won’t typically affect the crop.

Zucchinis are super-fast and happy growers. I planted my seedlings out a month ago and have already picked my first two zucchinis, one from each plant. The fruit (yep, it’s not a vegetable!) also grow incredibly fast so check on them every day or two and pick when they’re at the desired size. Leave them for another week or two and they’ll be huge, still edible but relatively tasteless. Try to find a few different varieties to plant – I have the usual green type plus the vibrant yellow-skinned variety featured in this recipe.

Shaved zucchini

Zucchini, strawberry and basil salad

Serves 1 as a main, or 2 as side salad

One small zucchini

1-2 silverbeet leaves (or another young tender green)

A handful of strawberries

A sprig of fresh basil leaves

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

½ tsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Use a potato peeler to shave thin slices off the zucchini, stopping when you reach the seeds. Don’t throw the seed core out – I snack on it later, or use it in another meal or vegie stock. Put the slices in a bowl with the finely sliced silverbeet.

Put the vinegar, oil and a tiny pinch of salt and pepper into a small jar, screw the lid on tightly and shake vigorously. Pour over the zucchini mix and mix through with your hands to coat thoroughly. This will tenderise the vegies slightly as you prepare the strawberries.

Slice the strawberries in halves or quarters, depending on their size, and add with the chopped or torn basil to the bowl. Toss and serve immediately.

 
So easy, so good :)