A special dessert, remembered from my childhood… this was one that Mum used to serve on occasions at their very grown-up Dinner Parties. I clearly recall hovering in the kitchen as she made the little baskets, secretly hoping that at least one of them would break or crack as she moulded them into shape, so that I could nibble on the broken bits.
We made this together last week when we stayed with my parents up in Southern Queensland. The strawberries are in season up there right now (being somewhat warmer than chilly Canberra), so we picked our own from a local strawberry farm and set to work on this fabulous dessert. They’re as delicious as I remember them from childhood… and now a firm favourite of my own children.
Thanks Mum! It was lovely to spend some time with you… and Dad too, of course! xx
The original recipe, which I’ve adapted slightly (including the substitution of strawberries for raspberries), came from a classic cookbook ‘A Taste for All Seasons’ (first published in 1975) by Beverley Sutherland Smith.
Strawberry Cream Baskets | Gather and Graze
For the Biscuit/Tuile Baskets:
- 50g (⅓ Cup) Plain Flour (sifted)
- 40g (⅓ Cup) Icing (Powdered) Sugar (sifted)
- Pinch of Salt
- 60g (4 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter (melted)
- 1 Large Free-Range Egg White (stiffly beaten)
For the Strawberry Cream:
- 250g (1 Punnet) Fresh Strawberries
- 1 Tablespoon Caster Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Cointreau/Orange Liqueur (optional)
- 125mls (½ Cup) Pure/Heavy Cream
- ¼ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 30g (1oz) Dark Chocolate (grated)
To make the Biscuit/Tuile Baskets:
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F and line a baking tray with baking/parchment paper.
Stir together the sifted flour, icing sugar and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and stir to combine, then add the beaten egg white and stir until the mixture comes together nicely.
Place a heaped teaspoonful of mixture at each end of the prepared baking tray and use a knife to spread them into large, very thin circles (approx 13-14cm in diameter).
Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 5-6 minutes, until the biscuits are golden around the edges.
When the biscuits come out of the oven, lift them immediately from the baking tray (using a spatula) and while they are still hot, press them gently into a small bowl to create the baskets. Note: It’s best if the bowl has a flat base, so that the baskets will stand up nicely once they are removed and ready to serve.
Continue to make another 2 sets of biscuits in the same way, until you have 6 baskets.
To make the Strawberry Cream:
Set aside 6 strawberries to decorate the top of the desserts with. Chop up the remaining strawberries and place them in a small bowl along with the caster sugar and cointreau (if using) to macerate for about 30 minutes.
Whip the cream and vanilla extract until you reach soft peaks, then gently stir in the grated chocolate and macerated strawberries.
To assemble the dessert:
Spoon strawberry cream into each of the biscuit baskets and decorate the top with the remaining strawberries. Serve immediately.
- Slightly adapted from a recipe by Beverley Sutherland Smith in her book ‘A Taste for All Seasons’
- For an even easier dessert option, you could simply scoop good quality ice cream (flavour of your choice) into the tuile baskets and top with fresh berries. A drizzle of chocolate or berry sauce would be fabulous too!
Gather & Graze 
i am afraid with my fumble fingers i would smash these little tart cases to bits:) they look really cute and i bet they are delicious. yes it is great to have strawbs here in july. i think they were early this year and the season started in june.
So sorry for the late response Sherry! They’re actually really, really easy to make – just biscuits that are shaped while still flexible and hot from the oven. I’m sooo looking forward to the variety of fruit that will be available in the months to come! Nearly through winter… 🙂
They look soo cute! Will definitely try this!
That’s wonderful to hear! Thanks so much. 🙂
OMG
I love these!! The texture of these cups is similar and delicate to fortune cookies? Will try soon!!
Cheers Sonal! You’re right, they are quite similar in texture to fortune cookies, but a little sweeter in taste. You could shape them into any style you like… I’ve been thinking how nice they’d also be just rolled into a cigar shape (using a wooden spoon handle) to accompany an evening tea or coffee!
That sounds awesome Margot!! A perfect snack with evening tea!
Delicious and great presentation. Like the technique to make the baskets.
Thank you Stefan! They’re quick and easy to make… and the baskets can also be prepared a day in advance and stored in an airtight container, so that it’s just the cream that needs preparing on the night. Fantastic dinner party dessert! 🙂
Oh these are wonderful Margot! The strawberry cream sounds lovely even without the tuile baskets, but then serving it in those gorgeous little edible cups takes it to a whole new level. Looks like a fun baking project, I think I’ll give it a go! The last time I had fun baking was your jelly roll and what a success!
These are just as much fun to make Seana… do let me know if you give them a try. I think they’ll be making a regular appearance on our table in future, after the rave reviews given by my boys after tasting them. 🙂
very pretty and delicate indeed – I love Annes comment, I too suspect I am too cack-handed for tuile baskets – wonder how they would taste if they were earl grey flavoured – (stop – not a spring flavour, or is it?)
Oh Poli, it’s nothing harder than pressing a hot biscuit into a bowl! 🙂 Really very easy and a lot more forgiving than you might think. Do give it a try… I’d love to know how a tea-infused tuile would taste! Hope you’ve had a lovely week my friend.
Dear Margot – I would love to know how a teainfused tuile would taste – I suppose I read the idea somewhere else 🙂 – but cannot remember where. I am having a lovely week, hope you are too – still brainstorming! Poli
Lovely – I’ll email you over the w’end! xx
🙂 ok wonderful – happy friday
Looks perfect and delicious too:)
So very kind, thank you Lina! 🙂
Nice to see the boys working the fields x AJ & Colin
They were pretty happy working for strawberries… plus a strawberry ice cream bought for each of them by Granni at the end! 🍓🍦🍓🍦
They look amazing Margot. They look so delicate and airy. I love the way you presented these baskets! 🙂
Thanks dear Linda! They go lovely and crispy once they’ve cooled and give a nice contrast in texture to the creamy filling.
I would love to go strawberry picking too! Your tuille baskets look perfectly baked!Nice colour and looks like the perfect crisp shell. What a lovely way to have fresh and sweet strawberries. So delicious! I’m sure you and your parents enjoyed them immensely!
Thanks Jo, they really are delicious… and such fun to have picked our own beautiful berries to use within. Cheers, Margot
These look and sound delightful! I haven’t seen baskets for ages. Did your Mum let you in on any other recipes she may have remembered. And were these how you remembered them as a kid? There were a couple of yeast-free breads my Mum made that I would love to know how to make. Shame.
How wonderful that you can drive to a warmer part of the same country! Can’t get my head around that.
They were exactly as I remembered them Johnny! 🙂 I’ve brought home a few other recipes too, which I’ll hopefully bring to light in the coming weeks/months. It was rather lovely leafing through a number of Mum’s old cookbooks while I was there.
Were the yeast-free breads something like a Soda Bread? Love to know what is was that made them stand out in your memory…
The drive was a long one – we departed around 6am and didn’t arrive until 11pm, but yes the weather was about 10degC warmer than here, so really quite a pleasant way to pass some of the winter holidays! 🌞
How beautiful, Margot! I love how you have shaped the tuile baskets. And, strawberries in cream… Oh My! 🙂
Hard to go wrong with strawberries and cream dolloped into a buttery tuile biscuit, isn’t it!? 🙂 Thanks very much Fae!
This presentation is so cute! These look yummy!
Thanks so very much! 🙂
It’s always fun to have mother/daughter time in the kitchen. I used to make a similar dessert with brandy snap baskets. A fabulous dessert for a dinner party Margot!
Oooh, it’s been a few years since I’ve made brandy snaps, but I adore them! You’re right, they would work perfectly in this dessert too. We had a lovely week up north Sandra and definitely could have stayed a little longer… though I’m sure M&D are happy to have a little peace and quiet again in the house! 🙂
Lovely little baskets! I’ll definitely try those some day! And fruit/berries and cream, a perfect combo… strawberries are gone now, but we are finally getting all the other berries!
Hi Darya, after seeing your post today for Cranachan, I started wondering if a little dousing of Cassis would be better than the Cointreau suggested – might have to try it next time! Raspberries in this dessert would be perfect… if you still have a few loitering about. 🙂
Your tuile baskets are beautiful. It’s been ages since I made them…I remember that you have to watch them “like a hawk”! Lovely that you were able to cook with your mum 🙂
Thanks Tanya… I don’t get to see my Mum often enough (due to the 1,300 or so kilometres that lie between us) so it was really lovely to spend this time with her. Oh and yes to watching these like a hawk – from lightly golden to chocolate brown in a minute or so! Perhaps I should add a note above regarding this… Cheers!
What a delicious looking dessert! I’ll be going to a nearby strawberry farm for self-picking later today, so thanks for the tip! 🙂
Thanks very much Meggie. Enjoy the strawberry picking… you can never pick too many!
Looks delicious Miss Margot, So lovely to share some time with you and your boys recently! Feel spoilt to have been able to share time and some of these strawberries with you! You are such a dear person and wonderful friend. Not to mention a great cook!!! 😉 xx
So lovely to see your gorgeous face and give you a big hug my dear friend! Thanks for our special afternoon together and also for that wonderful chocolate pavlova you baked. Sending you lots of love, M.xx
These look amazing! I’m obsessed with strawberries at the moment as they are in season here in England- definitely will have to try these out now 😊
Thanks very much! How lovely… enjoy strawberry season, such a beautiful time of year!
These look divine though I fear I may be too cack-handed for the tuile baskets!
Fear not Anne… they shape really easily. Some end up a little quirkier in their folds than others… but that’s fine by me, each one’s an original! 🙂